


Matters of the Heart

by Kristilove



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Attempt at Humor, F/M, Fluff, Love, Modern Westeros, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2018-12-26 00:02:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 38,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12047091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kristilove/pseuds/Kristilove
Summary: Tormund finds a perfect woman for him but will a stupid mistake ruin their future? Modern AU.





	1. Wrong Direction

**Author's Note:**

> First fanfic story so let's see how it goes. Feel free to comment and let me know what you think.

Freshly out of the shower, she didn’t have time to dress before things escalated. He managed to get his tank top off but his sweatpants were still on, tucked underneath his firm, round ass. His desire for her matched his ginger hair and he needed to feel her again.

He couldn’t hold on much longer. Her aching moans and cries of pleasure near his ear were sending tingles down his spine, almost too much for him to bare. Her firm grip around his neck and her tightly wrapped legs around his waist were telltale signs that she was on the verge of exploding. He too, was not far away. It had been a while since he felt her body and touch. He wanted her so bad, it hurt. He was surprised he had even gotten this far considering their current circumstance.

With every thrust, his breathing increased and he was losing control. He planted a deep kiss on her chin. “Brienne…I can’t hold on much longer.” his voice raspy and deep with passion. She tilted her head back further into the pillow and arched her back as she was becoming undone.

She tugged hard on his sweaty, unruly red hair and tightened her walls around his member as her body shattered beneath him. Her body fell weak and she released her arms around his neck letting them fall to his broad, sweaty shoulders. Her legs also slipped from around his waist to the sides of his hips. He paused for a moment letting her regain her composure, feeling relieved that he was still able to satisfy her needs. He removed his hands from her waist and placed his forearms underneath her shoulders, grasping the pillows underneath her head. He nestled his head in her neck.

He dug deeper inside of her, pushing harder and faster. His moans became deeper, stronger, and within seconds he exploded. He dropped his full weight onto her body and she felt his heartbeat racing through the towel that was still covering her body. She lay still beneath him but turned her face away from him as he planted kisses on her face and neck.

“Please come home…” he whispered. “I miss you… I miss this.” He brushed his nose on the side of her face, his beard tickling her collarbone. “I’m sorry…I need you.” He lifted his head to look at her, waiting for a response. It seemed like an eternity before she answered.

She continued to look away when she gathered the nerve to answer. “I can’t.” she said softly, pain in her voice. “I’m not ready.”

His heart broke with her response. He slowly pulled out and lifted his weight off of her. He rolled onto his back, pulling up his sweatpants. She clenched the towel over her body and turned on her side away from him. After a few minutes, he raked some of the sweat filled hair out of his face and moved his body closely behind her. He planted kisses on her shoulder. “I love you.”

She felt the pain in his voice and a ball started to form in her throat. A tear fell from her eye as he held her tighter. “You can’t stay.” She managed to get out before she started to cry.

“Ok... I’ll go.” He was defeated and squeezed her tightly once more before he let go and got off the bed. He adjusted his clothing and headed to the bedroom door. He turned to her one last time.

“Brienne…are we done? For good?” His stomach was becoming weak and queasy as he waited for an answer that seemed to take an eternity.

She continued to stare at the wall and sighed deeply. “No Tormund…”

He dropped his forehead to the wall and exhaled deeply. “I love you…”

Things had gone from good to great to bad to worse in a matter of months. How could he be in this predicament when everything was going so well? He thought back to the beginning…

 

*********************************************************

 

Brienne hustled through the usually uncrowded street to her office building. Her hair was still wet from her shower but slicked back with beautiful waves. She only had time to throw on some eyeliner, blush, light pink lipstick, her favorite gold necklace and loop earrings. If she needed to swoon anyone, it would be with her beautiful blue eyes. She was slightly late to her impromptu meeting and her gold heels weren’t helping. Her black sleeveless jumpsuit showed off her long frame and curves as she struggled to keep her black and gold oversized handbag on her shoulder. She had her tablet in the other hand trying to review photos for her meeting. As she walked down the street she heard men shouting but paid little attention to it. She kept walking while trying to retrieve her ringing cell phone from her bag. It was Sansa. She put the phone to her ear and kept walking.

As soon as she answered, Sansa blazed her with questions. “ _Are you there yet? Did you get a chance to look at the photos? Are you nervous? Do you know who will be in your meeting? Did you read the text I sent you last ni…”_

Brienne was flustered. “Sansa! Too many questions right now! I haven’t gotten there yet! I didn’t get a chance to read your text. Was it important?”

_“There’s a new Rugby team here in L.A. I’m going to be the head trainer! The pay is magnificent! Jon is on the team and he wanted to know if I knew anyone that wanted tickets to a game or two. You interested?”_

Brienne kept sliding through the pictures on her tablet barely paying attention. “Yeah…um…sure…tickets are fine. Congrats on the cool job. I’ll call you after my meeting.” Brienne hung up and shoved the phone back into her bag.

The shouting in the street was getting louder. Brienne was getting closer to it as she turned the corner, eyes locked on the pictures on the screen.

A group of people in a red sports car had stopped in the middle of the street yelling to a man walking alone. The front passenger yelled. “You’re that crazy ass ginger from the new rugby team! We’ve been to both games so far! You’re fucking awesome!”

“And hot! Keep taking off your clothes at the games! The ladies love it!” the girl behind him yelled. “What’s your name again?”

“I’m Tormund Giantsbane, the crazy ginger that loves to take his clothes off anytime and anywhere!” He backpedaled down the street yelling at his newfound fans. He started jumping up and down, beating on his chest, swinging his hands everywhere as he approached the corner.

Brienne never saw him rounding the corner. Tormund bumped right into her, smacking the tablet out of her hand. It crashed onto the concrete sidewalk and slid into a puddle on the corner in the street.

Her eyes widened. “Shit! No, no, no!”

He turned to face her and their eyes met. She was a few inches taller than him but he was mesmerized by her presence. He was instantly attracted to her and his heart already knew. He lost his train of thought for a minute.

“My work!” Her pitch was high and angry.

He grabbed the tablet out of the water. The screen was shattered and it didn’t turn on. He started to wipe it off with his blue and white striped polo shirt.

She snatched it out of his hand. “You broke my tablet! All of my work was on there! I have a meeting and now I can’t review the pictures!”

He held out his hands pleading with her. “I’m sorry. My friend and I are techies. I can get this replaced for you.”

“I don’t need it replaced. I need the work off of it!” She searched her bag for a napkin to continue to wipe it off. She couldn’t find anything and threw her hands up in exasperation.

He removed his shirt, took the tablet from her and started wiping it off until it was dry. “I can replace it and get the data for you. It’s not a problem. I…I’m really sorry.”

She quickly scanned his bare body. She noticed how his fitted jeans were hanging on his waist, low, showing his V line. She trailed her eyes up, counting his tight abs. His chest was perky, followed by broad striking shoulders. Next was his neck that led up to his wild ginger beard. Their eyes met once again.

He smiled devilishly. “You see something you like?” He raised his eyebrows playfully at her.

She looked into his greens eyes and sighed. All anger left her body. “I have a meeting tomorrow afternoon. How long would it take you to fix this?”

He pulled out his wallet and gave her a business card. “If you come to my office tonight after 7, we can get it fixed. My business partner will be there. He’s the best tech for my company, besides me of course.”

Brienne took the card and dropped it in her purse. “I’ll come by later.”

He extended the tablet to her with his shirt still covering it. “Keep it wrapped in the shirt. You can give it back later.”

She put the tablet in her bag. She looked at her watch. “Thank you. I’m extremely late now. I have to go. See you later.” She walked past him picking up her pace.

He watched her walk away. A huge smile crossed his face as he ran his fingers through his unruly hair. He reached for his cell phone. “Hey man, I need you at the house later. I need you to get data off of a badly damaged tablet and replace it for a woman I met today. I think I like her….”


	2. The Meetup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait. Let me know what you think.

Tormund showered and threw on some fitted jeans. He looked at his chest in the mirror and rubbed his pecs. He wanted to make a good impression on her. He realized that in all drama that occurred he didn’t even get her name. He felt like an idiot. He went down the long hallway and into the living room. He looked at his friend. “Your techie brain had better do wonders tonight. I really want to impress this woman. I really like her.”

His friend looked up at him. He shook his head in disgust and rolled his eyes. “Geez, put some damn clothes on. You have on a pair of jeans, no shirt, no shoes and you want to impress her? She’s gonna spray you with mace.”

Tormund flexed his biceps. “So do you think it would be better if I put on a shirt?”

“I can’t believe you didn’t even get her name. What makes you think she is really going to come?”

“She really needs to get her work off the tablet. She will be here.” Tormund was sure she would come and the excitement of seeing her again was building inside of him. He ran to his room and came back in a green henly shirt that fit snug over his bulging muscles. “There. I put on a shirt.”

His friend shook his head and continued to put the computer equipment together.

She pulled up to the large house only realizing that it wasn’t an office building when her GPS took her through the mountains. It was beautiful house though and she loved the look of it. She pulled her car through the gate and parked it in one of the available spots around the large fountain. She walked up to the large modern contemporary door and rang the bell. Within seconds, Tormund appeared with a smile on his face.

“Hi.” He opened the door wider and ushered for her to enter. She walked past him apprehensive and scanned the home. It was absolutely beautiful. The floors were black marble throughout with little speckles that shined in the dim lighting. To her left was a half wall that opened up into a gourmet kitchen. The cherry cabinets went up to the ceilings and complimented the high tech appliances. To her right there was an office with multiple computers and equipment only enclosed by sliding doors. Straight ahead of her was a living room like she had never seen before. It was a split level setting with 2 sofas across from each other and a loveseat that could fit ten or more people. The steps down to the chairs were lit in light orange and glimmered off the glass coffee table. She couldn’t help but stare at it.

Brienne walked closer to it. “That is beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

He smiled as he closed the door and followed behind her. “We call it the pit. It looks like a pit doesn’t it? Well…that’s what I was going for when I had it built.”

She looked past the pit to the large glass windows behind that overlooked the California mountains. To the left of the pit was a large dining table with computer equipment. She smiled at the familiar face sitting at the table fidgeting with some wires.

“Jon?” she couldn’t believe it was really him. She hadn’t seen him in about a year.

Jon stood up and smiled back. She walked over to him and they embraced.

“Brienne… It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. You look great! How have you been? Sansa said you were doing well since… well…you know.” Jon pulled a chair out for her and he sat next to her. He was happy to see a familiar face. They carried on with some small talk as Tormund looked on in confusion.

He cleared his throat. “So clearly you two know each other and I’m the odd ball out. Care to elaborate?” He sat in the chair next to Brienne and admired her as she gave Jon her full attention.

Brienne pulled the tablet out of her bag and handed it to Jon. He looked at how badly damaged it was and waved it in front of Tormund.

“How did you manage to do this much damage to her tablet. You are such a brute.” He smiled and laid it on the table. “Tormund, this is Brienne. She is a family friend, basically family. We grew up together. She’s best friends with my cousin Sansa.”

Tormund turned his attention to Brienne and smiled. He was definitely still smitten with her. “Brienne…a beautiful name. For some reason I failed to get your name earlier. I’m glad you came so that I could rectify this situation.” He nodded his head at Jon and pointed at the tablet. “He’ll get this all fixed up for you. In the meantime, would you like something to eat, drink?”

She turned her attention to him. She couldn’t help looking into his green eyes and getting slightly lost in them. He was definitely attractive and her eyes couldn’t deny it. “Um…water…please? That would be great.”

He slowly got up from the table, his eyes never leaving hers. “No problem. I’ll be right back.”

She watched him as he walked away. His clothes tapered to his muscular frame. She felt a sudden warmth through her body. She wondered what his body would look like naked. Probably heavenly. She tried to shake the craziness out of her head but it had been a while since her last sexual encounter and her hormones were a bit out of control.

He handed her the water and walked back into the kitchen, sitting on the large island admiring her from afar. He picked up a green apple and ate it while she conversed with Jon…

**************************************

 

It seemed like forever when Jon handed over a brand new tablet to Brienne and unlocked it for her. “Here we go. A brand new tablet for you with all of your old data on it. You are good to go babe.”

Tormund stepped out of the pit where he was looking over some papers and leaned on the table beside Brienne, his shoulder brushing against hers. She swiped through her apps and docs and smiled as all of her information appeared.

Brienne smiled and held the tablet to her chest. “Thank heavens I got all my work back. Jon, you are an angel. You’ve always been.”

“Anything for you Brienne. You are family. If you need anything, you know where to find me.” He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Where are you staying?” she asked.

“Here. I live here. Tormund is my roommate.” He looked at Tormund as he gushed over Brienne. He rolled his eyes at him. “Actually, this is his house and I’m staying here until the season is over.”

Tormund stood up from the table. “So if you wanna come hang out with us, feel free to stop by anytime. You are always welcome.”

Brienne gathered up her belongings and stood up. She was face to face with Tormund again, his green eyes gazing into her icy blue eyes. “Thanks for the offer. If Jon is here, I’m sure Sansa and I will make the trip up to see him.”

Tormund smiled at Brienne. “Only him? You wouldn’t want to come up to see me? I saw you looking at my body earlier today. You definitely saw something you like.”

Jon stood out of Brienne’s view and made slashing throat gestures towards Tormund and shook his head from left to right. Jon did not want Tormund making advances towards Brienne.

Brienne grinned and shyly looked away.

Jon interrupted. “Brienne, I’ll be right back. I have something for you that you could definitely use.”

She turned her attention back to Tormund. “You are rather forward aren’t you? Is there something else you are getting at?”

Tormund folded his arms, muscles pulsing through his shirt. “I’m rather sad that Jon stole all your attention away from me today. He got to give you a kiss on the cheek and I’m rather jealous. I find you attractive…very attractive, and I know you feel the same way about me. We could have a lot of fun together and I want to get to know you better. Let me take you out on a date.”

There was silence between the two.

“Was that too forward for you?” He unfolded his arms and extended his hand out to her.

She placed her hand in his. “A little, but I’m not opposed to going on a date with you. There is something I like about you.”

He brought her hand to his lips and placed a light kiss on it. “Good. Call me anytime.”

Jon reappeared as Tormund and Brienne exchanged warm gazes at each other.

He sighed and shook his head in disappointment. “Oh fuck me….”


	3. Needed conversation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why this chapter was so hard to write but its done. Feedback is a gift. Hope you like it.

Brienne arrived at her apartment door to see Podrick leaving. He carried multiple textbooks in his arms and looked rather exhausted.

“Hi Brienne.” He barely made eye contact as he walked past her.

“Pod. How studying going?”

“Great, I guess. See you around.” He scurried down the stairs.

Brienne looked puzzled but entered the apartment. Sansa emerged from the bathroom fixing her hair in a ponytail.

“What’s up with Pod?”

“I think I stress him out. Too intense for his personality.” Sansa plopped on the couch and organized the textbooks on the coffee table.

“Well take it easy on him. He doesn’t work well under a lot of stress. You will get the best out of him by praise and encouragement.”

“Duly noted.”

Brienne pulled the tablet out of her bag. “So I went to get the tablet fixed. Why didn’t you tell me Jon was…”

“Bunking with the hot ginger?” Sansa interrupted. “Isn’t he gorgeous? We have got to visit Jon more. He throws some team parties there.”

Sansa knew that Jon was bunking with the best player on the Rugby team. She had known for quite some time that they were friends.

Brienne sat on the L shaped couch across from Sansa. “I met him, he’s very good looking, very rugged. More sexy than anything.”

Sansa caressed her face down to her breasts. “Have you seen that body? Heavenly. Made by the Gods. I’m sure of it.”

Brienne laughed at Sansa. “Are you in heat? What’s going on with you? Do you fancy him?”

Sansa shook her head no. “I don’t fancy him in that way. He’s a bit of a brute, at least that’s what I hear from some of the cheerleaders and women around the locker room. A little too aggressive for my liking. Huge cock though.”

“Sansa!” Brienne couldn’t believe what she was hearing from Sansa’s mouth. The sweet, innocent, shy girl she once knew was long gone.

 “I haven’t seen it.” Sansa continued. “Just the imprint when he comes in for treatment. He doesn’t wear underwear. Did you know that?” Sansa grinned from ear to ear.

Brienne threw her arms in the air. “Um…no…he was fully clothed when I saw him today.”

“You should come to the games. When they win, he strips down to the jock strap. I’m convinced it’s the reason why there are so many women at the games.”

“I’m sure it’s a sight to see. One that he may be all too willing to show me.” Brienne plopped her head back on the couch.

Sansa was intrigued. “What? Did he say something to you?”

“He asked me on a date. I said yes.”

Sansa clapped her hands enthusiastically. “I knew it. I knew you guys would be a good match.”

Brienne sighed. “I’m not looking for a relationship right now Sansa. I’m barely out of whatever I’m currently in now.” Brienne picked herself up and headed towards her bedroom.

Sansa got up as well. “It’s time to move on Brienne. It’s almost been a year. You deserve to be happy. You will never fully heal if you don’t cut out the source of the pain.” She hugged Brienne and opened her door. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. You have a visitor. Goodnite…”

 

**********************************************

 

Brienne opened her door apprehensively with an idea of who it might be. The room was dark but the voice was all too familiar.

“Hey love.” Jamie reached over and turned on the lamp on the nearby nightstand. He returned to the middle of the bed where only the bedsheet covered his lower extremities. He was completely naked, arms relaxed behind his head on the pillows.

Jamie knew how to get a reaction out of Brienne, good or bad. He had slept over more often than usual since Cersei had gotten more serious with her boyfriend Euron. Brienne had only allowed it because she was lonely, wanted a warm body next to hers and Jamie was convenient. She still loved him, more than she should, but needed to break this cycle.

“Get out! I’m not kidding. When I return from my shower you’d better be gone.” She undressed in front of him and he admired her body as each layer of clothing fell to the ground. She walked passed the bed in her bra and panties and shut the bathroom door behind her.

 

************************************************

 

Tormund knocked on Jon’s bedroom door. He was happy that Brienne had accepted his invitation for a date. He was hoping that Jon could give him some tips on her likes and dislikes. He peaked his head in.

“So….do you have any tips on what Brienne likes?”

Jon closed his laptop and swung his chair around to face Tormund. “I think you should stay away. You have a reputation with the ladies Tormund. She’s a really good family friend. I don’t want her getting hurt.”

Jon and Tormund had become best friends over the years. He knew his history with women and he knew all that Brienne had gone through, especially the last few years. They would be oil and water in his mind.

“Jon, come on. You know me better than anyone else, more than anyone on the team. You know the real me. I just want to get to know her. It’s not like we are gonna start hooking up.” Tormund gave Jon a devilish grin. “I’m joking with you. Lighten up.”

Jon sighed. “Look, you’re both adults. She has a lot going on. I’m not even sure she is single. You’ll need to ask her that yourself. Are you ready to tell her about you, the real you? All you’ve got going on?”

Tormund raked his fingers through his hair. “Jon, you are too intense all the time. It’s just a date. Maybe I just want to be the real me, not the person everyone portrays me to be. You know who I really am. You know I’m a good lad.”

Jon started to feel bad about his negativity. He was being overprotective and selfish for both of his friends. “Alright. She loves seafood. It’s her absolute favorite. She likes the outdoors but she is a very private person. She’s not really into fancy places where someone might recognize you and start taking pictures. She is a bit shy and closed off, very private. It does take her a while to get comfortable with…”

“Men…” Tormund interrupted. “She’s shy around men?”

“No, not all men. Just men that show romantic interest. She’s not very forward like you are. That makes me worried. You can be such a brute sometimes.”

“I won’t be that way with her. I promise.” Tormund raises one hand in the air and places the other to his chest. “Lad’s honor.”

Jon looked directly into Tormund’s eyes, so deep it felt like he was looking into his soul. “One other thing Tormund. If things get serious between you two, you will be honest with me and let me know right?”

Tormund smiled. “Of course bro.”

 

***************************************************

 

Brienne entered her bedroom to see Jaime fast asleep. She admired his face. He looked so peaceful when he slept. She thought back to a time where she would have done anything for him. The last two years of their relationship were very painful for her. He was emotionally abusive and it took a toll on her mind, body and soul. Yet still, when she looked at him, she couldn’t hate him. She knew she had to have closure in their relationship to move into the next chapter of her life. The fact that he was attractive and lying naked in her bed didn’t make matters any better.

She eased into the bed next to him and turned her back towards him. He felt her presence immediately and turned in her direction. He cuddled close to her, her back tightly conformed to his bare chest. He placed his arm across her waist underneath hers and nuzzled his head in her neck.

He placed a kiss on her shoulder. “Why do you have clothes on? Don’t you wanna be naked with me?”

“Why are you not at home in your own bed? This is the 3rd night this week.”

He rolled on his back. “I told you… Cersei’s boyfriend and I don’t get along and he’s been staying over more frequently. We always end up in an argument so I left. I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

“I think you are old enough to find your own place. It’s not healthy for 30 year old twins to still live together.”

Jaime sat up in the bed. “She wanted it that way. She told me she needed me around. It doesn’t help that our father left her in charge of the majority of our family’s money. He basically left her in control of everything.”

“He left her in control of the money but not your family’s business. Have you tried working at your own company to generate profit? You should try it.”

Jamie slipped his hand underneath the covers and under her shirt. “I didn’t come here for advice. I came for comfort. We haven’t had sex in a few months. I know you miss me.”

Brienne removed his hand. “I can’t do this anymore Jaime. You can’t keep popping in and out of my life like this. We need to break this off.”

He groaned in annoyance. “Are we really going to do this?”

“We have to do this Jamie. Its best for both of us. It’s time.”

“Can I at least stay the night?”

Brienne turned onto her back. “Yes Jaime, I’ll let you stay the night…but this is it.”

He slid back down in the bed next to her but turned on his side to face her. He was afraid to hear what she was going to say but knew this conversation was well overdue. “I know why you want us to be over but I want to hear you say it. I owe you that.”

Brienne took a moment to gather her thoughts. There was so many things she wanted to say but didn’t know how to say them.

“We’ve known each for such a long time and I loved you to my core Jaime. We had so many good times together and when you started to change, it broke me down. It was hard to forgive you every time you cheated but I did because I loved you. I felt that no one else would love me so I stayed and dealt with the hurt even though you acted like you didn’t care. I thought as we got older together, we would grow together and you would change. I thought that when you asked me to marry you and start a family we were getting better. These last two years have been my breaking point. I felt abused mentally and emotionally. I felt like you weren’t there for me, when I needed you the most. There were things that you did and said that I will never forget.” She took a long pause. “Through it all Jaime, through everything that has happened, I still have nothing but love for you. We’re just going in different directions and have grown into people that just can’t work anymore. We have to end this so I can move on. It’s time. For both of us.”

There was a long uncomfortable silence between them. Jaime knew they were over. His safety net had come to an end and not on his terms. “Will you still be my friend?”

“I will always be your friend.” She replied faintly.

Jaime rolled on top of Brienne, placed his legs over hers and pulled her to a seated position. He placed his hands in hers and looked into her eyes. “I know I never said this to you but I’m saying it now. You were the best thing that ever happened to me. You were pure and loved me for who I was and I took advantage of that. When you lost the baby…”

She turned away from him. “Don’t…”

Jaime placed his fingers underneath her chin and lifted her face back to his. “We don’t have to talk about her… I know it still hurts. I should have been there for you, been a better person, and been a better father. I should have stood by you and treated you with the respect you deserved. I should have stood up to my sister and not let things spiral out of control like it did. I never meant to hurt you as bad as I did. I’m so…sorry.” Jamie brought his forehead to hers. “I…I also want you to know that I love you, I’ll always love you and wish the best for you…even if it’s not with me. It’s been a great ten years.”

Brienne felt herself tearing up. She loved Jaime more than life itself and it was the first time he had ever been this open about how he really felt. He had finally admitted he was wrong and treated her less than her worthiness.

“So…this is it…”

“Yeah…this is it. I love you Brienne. I will always love you…”

He took a moment to admire her, to remember her icy blue eyes. To remember her soft lips. He gave her a half smile and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. It quickly turned passionate and he pressed her head down onto the pillows, his tongue still exploring her mouth. She broke the kiss and tried to gain her composure.

“We need a clean break Jaime. We can’t do this anymore.”

He lifted his finger to her lips. “Shh…we’re not doing anything. I’m doing something. I need to taste you one last time.”

Brienne tried to speak but he covered her words with kisses. She initially tried to resist but gave in. His passion and charisma were her weakness and she had succumb easier than she wanted to. His hands explored her body, lifting her tanktop up and exposing her breasts. He licked and sucked on one and caressed the other sending aching pulses to her lower body. He kissed his way down from her breasts to her stomach making her arch her back to his touch. He looked up at her, lust in his eyes. He wanted to make sure she never forgot him or the things he could do to her. Brienne tried to relax her body and watched the moonlight shine on Jaime’s face. She whimpered as he left a trail of kisses up her thighs. As Jaime’s head sunk between her legs, she closed her eyes, bit her lip, and nestled her hand in his soft blonde hair. She clenched the sheets as he parted her lips with his tongue one last time…


	4. The Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long wait. Laptop issues. Feedback is a gift so leave your comments. It keeps me writing. Hope you enjoy it.

It took Brienne a few weeks to take Tormund up on the offer for a date. She wanted to have a clear conscious and Jaime hadn’t call or come over since their last encounter together. She did go to the few games she was invited to and she did she Tormund in his antics on the field. They were undefeated so she witnessed him in his jock strap after every game. She realized why she liked him and why others did as well. He had an energy about him and his charisma was magnetic. After every win he’d have the crowd in a frenzy, following whatever chant he started. Women would throw their bras and panties onto the field which both amused and disgusted Brienne. After every game, he would purposely throw his jersey in the stands and fans would topple each other to grab it. Sansa invited Brienne on the field for his last game so she got a real feel for the excitement.

After the game was over, Brienne waited for Sansa in the tunnel near the locker room. Tormund spotted her and his eyes lit up. As the team passed her to the locker room, he slowed down and handed her his jersey.

“I’m still waiting for your call.” He whispered.

 

*******************************************

 

Brienne waited outside of the locker room for Sansa. All she could hear was cheering, celebrating and laughing. Three beautiful girls approached the door, two blonde and one brunette. The brunette was the shortest out of the three and the most energetic. She checked her makeup and asked for reassurance from the other two girls on if she looked hot or not. They were all scantily clad dressed and were either girlfriends or groupies.

Sansa entered the hallway exhausted and annoyed. She hugged Brienne. “I walk out of the training room and walk past the locker room and those idiots are in there jumping around naked, playing helicopter. Tormund is the ring leader of course.”

Brienne laughed hysterically. “Boys will be boys.”

The brunette tapped Sansa on the shoulder. “Is Tormund going to come out anytime soon. I wanted to say goodnight.”

Sansa rolled her eyes before turning to the girl and giving her a fake smile. “He’s going to get treatment on his shoulder in a few minutes. It’s going to be a while but when I go back in I’ll tell him to give you a call.”

“Can I at least go in there?” she asked.

“No Tammy, you can’t go in there right now, you know that.”

The two blondes gave Sansa a dirty look. “Let’s go Tammy. Just call him later.” One of them said.

Tammy saw Brienne holding Tormund’s jersey and looked up at her.

“You must be the fan that got his jersey tonight.” She took it from Brienne and sniffed it, savoring the smell. “Oh God, it smells just like him. He’s so sexy. You’re lucky.”

Brienne took the jersey back. “Yes…lucky I suppose.”

When they left, Sansa opened the door and pulled Brienne in. They walked past the naked, cheering jocks and into the training room. Sansa grabbed a stool and put it by one of the training tables. “Sit and don’t move.” She went out in the locker room. She screamed at the top of her lungs. “Can you guys please shower, cover your cocks and come get your treatment! My staff would like to go home sometime today!” Sansa re-entered the room. She gave her staff directions and they started setting up machines and supplies. She walked back over to Brienne and sat on the training table. “I’m putting him here so that you guys can chat somewhat privately. He told me that you never called.”

“I didn’t…yet.” Brienne responded.

Sansa chuckled. “Well there is no better time than now.” She gave Brienne a devilish grin. “I did see his cock today… it is huge like I’ve heard. You better hope he is a shower and not a grower.”

Brienne dropped her head in her hands. “Sansa…what has happened to you?”

Sansa laughed at her. “So in your mind, I’m still too young to have these conversations with you? We are both adults that like cocks. You’re like the older sister I never had. I’m just looking out for you and your uterus, that’s all.”

The team started to emerge from the locker room and Sansa waved Tormund over in her direction. He approached shirtless with a towel covering his lower body.

Sansa hopped off of the table. “Do you ever put on clothes Tormund? Please tell me you have something under that towel?”

He walked past Sansa in Brienne’s direction, a huge smile on his face. He stood in front of her and slowly removed the towel to reveal his very snug grey boxer briefs. He spoke to Sansa but never took his eyes off of Brienne. “Of course I put something underneath the towel. I didn’t want to scare Brienne away, although I may have since she still hasn’t called me.”

Brienne looked at his body as he mounted the training table. _It was made by the Gods_ she thought to herself, _just heavenly_. Once again he caught her looking and gave her his famous devilish grin. He bent over and brought her hand to his broad chest, rubbing it from left to right across his nipples and down his stomach.

“Oh…” she gasped partially excited but embarrassed and ripped her hand from his. His chest was soft like a baby’s bottom and skin hot like fire.

He looked at Sansa who was sticking plugs on his shoulder and laughed. She too was finding this amusing.

“Maybe just a little too forward for your friend?” he asked.

“She’s fine. She will learn to like it…if she ever calls you.” She turned the machine on and it started to pulsate Tormund’s shoulder. “I’ll leave you two alone.”

He smiled at Sansa. “Thank you for being an enabler.” Tormund rested his body back on the table and turned his head towards Brienne, her eyes narrowed at Sansa. “Don’t be mad at her. I requested your presence today. I wanted to make sure you were ok.”

“I’m sorry I haven’t called. I’ve been really busy with work. Sometimes it’s slow and sometimes I can’t even stop to breath. I’m free this week, so pick a day and I’d love to go out with you.”

“Let’s go out tonight then…”

 

********************************************

 

Taking Jon’s advice, Tormund took Brienne to a seafood restaurant on the pier. Since they left straight from the stadium, Tormund and Brienne weren’t dressed fancy. He wore jeans, sneakers and a basic blue polo shirt. He covered the bulk of his fiery red hair with a black beanie to avoid being noticed as easily. She wore jeans, sneakers and a grey graphic t-shirt and wrapped her flannel shirt around her waist. They went to a small place and because it was late it was also uncrowded. This made her comfortable with him and her surroundings. They engaged in small talk about his company and how well it was doing. She enjoyed is sense of humor and elaborate stories about anything that came to mind. He asked her if she was dating someone and she told him that she was just out of a long relationship and had moved on. That revelation only made the night better for Tormund. She was free and clear and he was able to make his move whenever she warmed up to him.

She didn’t let him off the hook as she asked about Tammy. He felt it was only right to tell her the truth. Tammy was a cheerleader for the team and a bed warmer he had slept with a few times. He told her that he would end whatever little they had going on the minute someone important came into his life. He gave her a look that implied he was ready to do that for her.

After dinner they walked the boardwalk taking in the lights and sounds around them from the nearby amusement park. There were some people that did notice him but they didn’t make a big fuss and left him alone after he took some pictures with them. They walked to the end of the boardwalk and found a bench in a quiet area.

“Thank you for taking me out tonight. I had a really good time. You’re not…”

“A brute?” he interrupted.

“I was going to say you’re not what people portray you to be. It’s almost as if they don’t know who you really are.” she fidgeted with her fingers. “You’re a really sweet person that I’d like to get to know better.”

He took his hat off and ruffled his hair. “I’m happy you gave me a chance and I’d also like to get to know you better.” He brushed his fingers gently across her chin. There was a long silence before he spoke. He looked into her blue eyes that sparkled in the moonlight. “Can I kiss you?”

She smiled at him and nodded approval. He moved in and planted a sweet, gentle kiss on her lips, pulling away slightly only to engage in a follow up kiss with a little tongue at the end. He kept their lips locked savoring every moment of her soft lips. She liked it and he knew it but she pulled away from the kiss putting her hand to his chest. He locked eyes with her again, lust in his.

“Your hands feel good there.” She tried to move her hands but he placed his over hers. “You don’t have to be afraid of me. I’m not going to hurt you…unless you want me to.” He winked at her playfully.

She couldn’t help but smile at him. Her attraction for him was growing stronger by the minute but she didn’t want to move too fast. “Tormund… I like you but I want to take this slow.”

“We can go at whatever pace you’d like. I can be gentle…or rough…if you like that.”

She laughed at him. “You just can’t help yourself.”

He caressed her hand and then planted a gentle kiss on it. “You wouldn’t like me if I were any other way. Let me take you home…”


	5. The Zoo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Sorry for the delay. The story really starts to pick up after this chapter. Feedback is a gift as always. Hope you like it.

 

 

For the next few weeks, Tormund and Brienne’s relationship moved along very well. Whenever they both had free time, they made it priority to see each other. They went for walks in the park or strolled across the sand on the beach. They had lunch or dinner at smalls dives instead of fancy restaurants to avoid big crowds or fans. She thought it was cute that Tormund wore beanies to hide his hair. She teased him at the fact that it only covered half of the problem. When Brienne was very busy at work, Tormund missed her terribly. He sent her flowers and candy with cute little notes which made her co-workers inquire about her love life. They all knew about her relationship with Jaime and wanted to know who this new man was in her life that made her happy again. He never signed the cards but she knew they were from him when he texted to see if she had received his gifts.

Tormund was on cloud nine and tried to avoid Tammy’s continued advances. He either told her that he was busy or that he would call her back but he never did. The team was winning and his popularity was picking up with the sport. He was becoming more noticeable in public so he started having small get togethers at his house or at his favorite club called _The Zoo_. He had a reserved secluded VIP area with separate security that was sheltered from the rest of the club.

Jon and Sansa raved about how great of a cook Brienne was so she cooked up some of her favorites at the get togethers. Tormund absolutely loved her roast. He begged her to come over and prep some meals for him and Jon during the week. Sansa and Brienne had become regulars at the house and Tormund and Brienne tried to keep their feelings for each other under wraps. Whenever Tormund had a party, she wouldn’t sit near him or make direct eye contact, but he always sent a smile her way that warmed her heart. Jon noticed how close they were getting and asked Tormund if their relationship was getting serious. He even asked Sansa for some intel but she said she didn’t know the extent of their relationship. Jon decided to keep tabs on them because he didn’t know if Tormund was being truthful like he said he would.

When setting up another date in her calendar, Brienne noticed a pattern. She realized from week to week, Tormund’s night availability changed. One week he was available all day and night and the next week he was only available until mid afternoon. She didn’t want to make a big deal out of it so she talked to Sansa about it when she got home.

Sansa was indulging in the dinner Brienne made when she saw her in deep thought. “This chicken is so good Brienne. Is this mom’s recipe?” Brienne didn’t answer. “Hello? Are you ok? What’s going on in that head of yours tonight? You seem distant.”

“You know Tormund and I have been hanging out more lately.”

“Have you two hooked up yet? Have you seen it?” Sansa squinted her eyes and smiled at Brienne.

Brienne rolled her eyes. “Do you know how impossible it is to talk to you sometimes? Especially when it’s about Tormund?”

Sansa groaned. “Fine. Tell me what’s on your mind. You’re no fun.”

“I looked at my calendar at the times we’ve met up and it looks like he has a weekly schedule I don’t know about. I can only see him every other week at night.”

Sansa’s smile faded and she took another bite of her food.

“You know something Sansa. Tell me.”

She shook her head. “Maybe you should just ask him.”

“It’s Tammy, isn’t it?”

Sansa used this opportunity to question the true nature of her relationship with Tormund. “What’s really going on with you guys? Are you dating or are you just friends? It wouldn’t matter if you’re just friends, right?”

Brienne sighed. “Sansa. We’re just friends but…you can’t say anything to anyone.”

“You slept together. I knew it!” Sansa interrupted.

“Seven Hells Sansa! No!”

“Then what is it Brienne?”

“I really like him. I’m starting to have these feelings.” She brought her hand to her heart. “He’s sweet and kind, rugged and forward. The more time I spend with him…the more I want him. I’ve only felt that way about one other.”

“Ok. I’m being serious now. Be honest with me. Have you guys kissed or anything?”

Brienne looked to her plate. “We’ve kissed a few times, held hands, hugged. We haven’t really been in private places together alone. We decided to take it slow.”

Sansa chuckled. “So, let me get this straight. You’re falling for a guy that you’ve only hugged and kissed in public? No heavy petting or anything? When he fucks you for the first time, he’s going to turn you out. You do know that right?”

Brienne dropped her fork in her plate. “I’m done Sansa.” She removed herself from the table, rinsed her plate off, stormed to her room and shut her door.

“You should always try it before you buy it! It’s not Tammy by the way! Just talk to him.” Sansa yelled in her direction before smiling and taking a sip of her wine.

 

********************************************************

 

The next morning Sansa apologized to Brienne for not taking her feelings seriously. Brienne asked her not to tell anyone, especially Jon, and Sansa promised not to. Sansa did encourage Brienne to talk to Tormund about her apprehensions. Sansa knew what was going on but felt it wasn’t her story to tell. If Tormund’s feelings were the same as Brienne’s, he would tell her what she needed to know.

They both got invitations to _The Zoo_ from Jon. Sansa had gone many times before but it was going to be Brienne’s first time. Sansa told her it was like any other nightclub but she’d be hanging in Tormund’s VIP section. The team was still undefeated and they wanted to party hard going into the bye week. Nick and Rick, Tormund’s teammates and party wingmen begged for a team party and invited the cheerleaders. Sansa arrived with Jon and his new girlfriend Dany. He was smitten with her and was spending all his free time at her house. The party was already rocking when Brienne arrived. The bodyguard to the VIP area was nicknamed “The Hound”. He hated everyone and his face showed it. Sansa saw him grilling Brienne so she waved her approval to him to let her in.

Brienne entered the lowly lit lounge. There was a large purple plush sectional that could hold about 25 people and drinks on the table in the middle. The group was smaller than expected. Jon came with his new girlfriend Dany and cuddled in the left corner, Sansa and Pod sat together near them. To the right were Nick and Rick with the two blondes that were waiting at the locker with Tammy. Front and center was Tormund slouched back with both of his arms behind the chair and to his left was Tammy. She sat close to him, her body turned towards him, making it a point to laugh the loudest at all his jokes.

Brienne approached the lounge and Tormund instantly stopped joking bringing everyone’s attention with him. His smile was ear to ear as he sat up in the chair eyeing Brienne. She wore a multicolored halter top, loose black slacks and black high heels. Her hair was parted with the shorter side pulled back behind her ear and the other side combed to the side. Her black eyeliner and red lipstick brought attention to her sapphire blue eyes.

“Sorry I’m late…work of course.” Brienne started.

Nick was mesmerized by her height and beauty. He was quite the looker himself, taller than Brienne with dark hair and light blue eyes. The light scruff on his chiseled jaw made him look rugged. He stood up immediately and extended his hand to her.

“I’m Nick and you are quite the beauty. Please…there’s room for you to sit over here.” He helped her through, past Rick and the two blondes and she sat between him and Tormund. Nick gave Tormund a wink and Tormund looked puzzled. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Brienne, a family friend of Jon and Sansa.” She looked over at Sansa who was watching the whole interaction.

“More family than friend.” Jon winked at Brienne.

“She’s like a big sister to me and Jon. We all practically grew up together. Pod too.” Sansa added.

Nick smiled and poured a drink. “Is that so? Would you like a drink?”

“No thank you. From the looks of Sansa and Pod I’m the designated driver tonight.” Brienne crossed her legs in the direction of Nick.

“Those are some long legs you have there.” He bit his lip. “The things that can be done with long legs.”

“Cool it Nick.” Tormund interjected. He noticed Jon looking at his reaction. “Like Sansa said. She is a family friend. Have some respect.”

The blonde next to Nick got irritated. “I’m going to the bathroom. Tammy?”

“Yep. Me too.” She rolled her eyes at Brienne as they walked away.

Dany whispered something in Jon’s ear and he told everyone that they were leaving. Everyone said their goodbyes and Pod sprawled out in the newly available seating. He was completely drunk.

Nick continued to focus on Brienne. “So, are you dating anyone?”

“No, I’m not but…” Brienne responded.

Tormund moved closer to Brienne and put an arm around her. “No shithead, but she’s off the market.” He brushed his fingers over her shoulder.

Nick opened his mouth in shock and laughed with Rick. “So, she’s the one that’s been occupying your time. Tammy won’t be too happy to know why she’s been blown off.”

Tammy overheard Nick as she returned to the couch. She looked at Tormund with hurt and anger in her eyes. “So this is why you haven’t been returning my calls?” Tormund went to speak but she walked past Sansa, grabbed her bag and stormed out of the lounge area. The blondes followed her. One kissed Rick on the cheek and waved goodnight to him.

Nick turned his attention back to Tormund and Brienne. “You two are dating?”

“No, we’re not dating…” Brienne answered.

Sansa giggled, clearly drunk and enjoying the conversation. “They’re clearing doing something but you can’t mention it to Jon. Nick, Rick you have to promise.”

“Not a problem. I can keep secrets.” Nick turned back to Brienne. “Well if whatever you two are doing doesn’t work out, I’m available and you know where to find me. Besides, he too short for you.” Nick, Rick and Sansa chuckled at that remark. Tormund tried to act serious but he laughed as well.

The group enjoyed each other’s company for a few more hours talking about sports and other topics. With Jon gone, Tormund was more attached to Brienne and made it a point to whisper sweet nothings in her ear that made her smile. He cuddled on the couch with her and they held hands. Pod looked at his watch and told Sansa that they should go home. He asked if he could crash on their couch for the night. Sansa interrupted the conversation that the others were having. “Brienne, we should probably head out. It’s really late. Pod is going to crash on our couch.”

“Yeah…we should get going.” She got up to leave but Tormund grabbed her by the waist and kissed her shoulder. She looked to him and smiled. “I had a great time tonight.” She looked at Nick and Rick. “It was nice meeting you two.”

She stood up with Tormund and he hugged her. The warmth of his chest felt good to her. “I have this tv interview early tomorrow. I was thinking tomorrow night we could have dinner? My place? I have something I want to tell you.”

“Sure.” She smiled and followed Sansa and Pod out.

Sansa whispered in her ear. “Tomorrow night he’s going to make you his…”


	6. The confession

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Feedback is a gift. Feel free to comment.

Tormund was in the kitchen eating fruit salad when Jon entered the front door. Jon was in a joyful mood whistling as he walked toward his bedroom. He stopped short at the kitchen when he saw Tormund in deep thought.

“Bro… how was everything last night after I left?”

Tormund didn’t respond. He wanted to tell Jon how much he liked Brienne and wanted to be with her. He knew why Jon didn’t want them together but he was going to be a better person with her. He had been best friends with Jon for a long time and they had just patched up their rocky relationship a little over a year ago. He wanted Jon to give him the benefit of the doubt but he knew it wasn’t going to happen.

Jon tapped the island with his keys. “Tormund…” Jon waved his hand in his direction.

“Everything was good. We all had a great time.”

“I had a great time last night with Dany. I mean after the club.” Jon wiggled his eyebrows up and down with a smile.

Tormund didn’t respond again.

“Did Pod and the girls get home safe? I forgot to text them last night.”

There was a long uncomfortable pause between the two. Jon looked puzzled. Tormund didn’t want to start an argument with Jon but he knew it was coming. Whether he was honest or not about his feelings for Brienne, Jon wouldn’t be happy. “I’m inviting Brienne over for dinner tonight.”

“She comes over for dinner all the time. I…”

“It’s more of a date tonight.” He interrupted.

“You guys are dating now?” Jon shook his head in disapproval. It was starting all over again. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea, but, you guys are adults so…”

“We’re not dating Jon but I want to… I really like her. I want her. My feelings for her are getting stronger every day. I think she feels the same way.”

Jon kept quiet and Tormund could see him brooding like he normally did when he didn’t like something. “You guys are sleeping together aren’t you? This is just your way of coming cleaning after the fact because I asked you to be honest with me.”

Tormund was annoyed with Jon. “I don’t think that would be any of your business Jon but no, we’re not sleeping together. I don’t know what your problem is. You claim to want her to be happy but I guess you don’t want it to be with me.”

“Just make sure to tell her everything Tormund. You have a tendency of jumping to conclusions, messing things up and making situations worse.” Jon walked away angry but came back. “She’s still fragile. You weren’t there when her whole world crumbled. I just don’t want to ever see her like that again. She’s family Tormund…family.”

 

***************************************

 

Brienne was working in her home office when Sansa knocked in her robe, coffee in hand. Brienne looked stressed trying to organize photos in portfolios. She was trying to finish up her work early so that she didn’t have to cancel on Tormund tonight. She was excited but nervous. What could he possibly have to tell her?

Sansa put a mug on the desk for Brienne. “Morning sunshine. Remind me to never drink that much ever again.” Sansa saw the worry in her face. “You don’t look so happy today.”

Brienne ran her hands through her hair and pulled it. “I am swamped again today. I have to get the portfolio proposals together, I have a conference call, I have to submit ideas for the photoshoots scheduled next week” She sighed. “I have a call with my father’s doctor today.”

Out of all her agenda items, that was the most concerning item. Selwyn had issues with his heart and was stubborn about having surgery. She wanted him to stay with her so that she could help him but he refused. Being in different countries stressed her out.

“You have a date tonight with Tormund.” Sansa interrupted. “You two are very cute together by the way. He really likes you. I just wish he would tell Tammy to take a hike already.”

“Well, it won’t matter if I don’t get this work done. I would hate to cancel on him but it’s not looking good.”

Sansa was only interested in Brienne’s love life. She would do anything for Brienne to help her move forward in her relationship with Tormund. “I guess that means you’re not going to watch his interview today. It’s with one of those entertainment networks. It can be really funny because they ask more personal questions than anything. I’ll DVR it for you.” Brienne didn’t respond. “If you need any help, I’ll be around for the next hour before I head to the arena. We’re all going to watch it there.”

Brienne didn’t respond prompting Sansa to leave. She poked her head in one last time. “Just fuck him tonight. After a hard day’s work, it’ll make you feel so much better.”

Brienne shot her a look and she giggled away. She texted Tormund good luck and continued working.

 

***********************************************

 

Tormund read Brienne’s text and smiled. He looked sharp as ever in his black fitted suit. His skinny black tie complimented his white shirt and his shoes shone magnificently under the camera lights. He cleaned up quite nice. His ginger beard was groomed to perfection and his hair, normally unruly, was kept as such but the wax he added kept it moist and in place. His devilish grin and green eyes were piercing through the interviewer who seemed to be smitten with him.

_“Welcome to the Rachel show! There’s a new Rugby league here in the United States. 8 teams, one of them here in LA called the LA Wild. When I first heard of the league, people were telling me to watch because there is a crazy ginger that gets the crowd riled up and ends up naked most of the time.”_

She showed a clip of him egging on the crowd with nothing but a speedo on, swinging his jersey around wildly.

Tormund chuckles. “After a win, the crowd gets a special treat. We are 8 – 0 right now.”

_“Oh my, you have a wonderful accent. So, I looked you up, watched some video. Beautiful body by the way. I find your name, Tormund Giantsbane, the one they call the crazy ginger. They didn’t advise how strikingly handsome you are.”_

“Thank you Rachel.” he replied.

_“So you’re sitting in my chair with clothes on right now, fully covered, nice suit, gorgeous face. Are these just on field antics to bring attention to the league?”_

“I don’t call my personality antics. Everyone that knows me knows that I don’t like to wear clothes. It’s never been my thing. The flesh is a beautiful thing and I like to show it.”

 _“Really?”_ she put her hand to her chin. His charm was getting to her.

“Yes, I’m quite uncomfortable right now.”

_“So what would make you comfortable right now? What would you be wearing?”_

He gives her a devilish grin. “Nothing.” He shifted forward in the chair towards her and looked directly into her brown eyes. He loved flirting.

Rachel shifted in her chair, crossing her legs. She began to ache below her waistline.

_“If I were to tell you to get comfortable right now, you would take off all of your clothes?”_

“For the camera, I would leave my pants on. That’s about it.” He starts to loosen his tie.

Rachel shifted in her chair again. She cleared her throat to gain her composure. _“So let’s get some facts out of the way. You’re 32 years old. Single. Originally from Norway correct? Do you really expect to play Rugby for the next 10 years?”_

“Yes to the first 3 questions. As far as Rugby, I’m old in sports years but I’m not in it for the long haul. I give myself another 2 years after this one. I just want to help get the league off the ground and open up American eyes to this wonderful sport.”

_“I appreciate your honestly Tormund. I did some research on you as any good interviewer should. It says here that you are currently worth 15 million dollars. Is that the current rate for startup Rugby players?”_

Tormund raised an eyebrow and smiled at her. “No, not the startup rate for Rugby players, but it is for my tech company in Silicon Valley.”

Her eyes widened in approval. _“So not only are you an athlete. You’re a handsome, smart, athlete.”_

He slowly brushed his finger across his bottom lip. “I feel like you are flirting with me Rachel.”

She smiled and tapped her pen on her notepad. _“Speaking of flirting. There must be a ton of woman chasing after you. Are you really single? I don’t believe that.”_

He grinned and looked away from the camera. “I like to keep my personal life private but I will say this. I’m not currently in a relationship.”

_“Really? So you are on the market?”_

He looked back at her and smiled coyly. “I wouldn’t say I’m on the market. There is a woman that I would love to call mine but she’s playing hard to get.”

_“You’re handsome, charming and rich. She’s a fool don’t you think?”_

“She’s not a fool. I like the chase. She’s worth it and she knows it.”

_“Is she a celebrity? Do we know her?”_

His cheeks start to redden. “She’s not a celebrity but works with them occasionally. I don’t think anyone knows her and she wouldn’t like for me to say who she is so we will leave it at that. All I know is that she is the one for me so we’ll see how it goes.”

_“Ok, I will cut you some slack this time. Moving on to some fun things. You have been listed as the #2 hottest sports ginger.”_

Tormund laughs. “I’m surprised and I guess that’s cool. I appreciate the fans.”

_“This is another personal question. You can answer it or not, entirely up to you.”_

He smiled. “Oh boy, here we go.”

A photo comes up on the nearby screen. Tormund is shirtless with gray sweatpants showing the imprint of his privates.

_“There have been some rumors that you are well endowed. Apparently, some of the team cheerleaders and staff have seen ALL of Tormund Giantsbane. Care to comment?”_

Tormund crossed his arms across his chest and smiled. “What type of interview is this? I feel like a piece of meat.” He unfolded his arms and repositioned himself in the chair. “Well let’s be thankful that I will have a Rugby ball to cover me for the photoshoot.” He chuckled pointing to the picture. “You don’t want to see me excited.” He bit his bottom lip and winked at Rachel.

She shifted again in her chair and crossed her legs the other way. He was making her feel things that she didn’t want to come across on air. She laughed shyly. _“You’re funny. Thank you for joining us today and we look forward to having you on the show in the near future. Good luck this season.”_ She extended her hand out for a handshake but he brought it to his lips and gently kissed it.

“The pleasure was all mine.”

 

Jon, Sansa and his teammates laughed as Nick turned off the television. “That guy and the ladies…geez…If he said one more thing to her, she would have shifted out of the chair and into his lap. I wonder who the lucky lady is?” Nick asked already knowing who it was. “Just kidding, we all know who it is.”

Sansa looked towards Jon out of the side of her eye, then back at the group leaving and responded. “I didn’t realize he was this smitten with her.” Jon rolled his eyes and left.

“Well she had better make up her mind because Tammy is all over him and she doesn’t want to give him up.” Rick added.

 

******************************************************

 

Tormund ordered catered food and set up a romantic spread at the dining table. He dimmed the lights low and lit candles. Brienne told him she would be an hour late but it was better than her cancelling. As he showered and dressed, he wondered what the night would be like. This was their first date alone in a private place. He had hoped that she had become more comfortable with him and would finally be ready to let down her guard. Whenever he hugged or kissed her, she always seemed tense and scared. He pondered what her reaction might be to what he was going tell her. He worried she might want out of a relationship that hadn’t really started yet. What would she think of him? He knew if he didn’t tell her, Jon would and that would make everything worse. He decided to have dinner first and tell her later that night.

Brienne had a stressful day trying to get everything done to make her date, but she was happy to be spending time with Tormund. She was already an hour late so she threw on some skinny jeans and a v-neck t-shirt. On the drive there she thought about what Sansa told her. She needed to let her guard down and let things happen between them. _Try it before you buy it_ she said. It wasn’t a bad idea but she wasn’t sure if she was ready for that yet. Her body said yes whenever he touched her but her mind was telling her to hold back.

She was met by Tormund at the door with a warm hug and tender kiss. He led her to the dining area past the pit where the candlelight dinner was set up. She thought it was cute that he was wearing a chef’s apron even though he did not cook dinner. She played along though and complimented him on his cooking. While eating, they shared some small talk about the day’s events and he told her stories that sounded so farfetched that she couldn’t help but laugh at them.

After dinner they cleaned up the dishes together and he led her down to the pit with a bottle of wine and two glasses. Tormund poured a glass of wine for himself and drank it in one shot. He turned to her and reached for her hands caressing them with his thumbs. She noticed how serious he had become and she got nervous.

“Brienne, I care about you and I want more out of this relationship. I’m willing to go as slow as you like but I want us to be together. I’m falling for you big time woman. I think about you all the time, especially when we are apart.” He kissed her hand. “How do you feel…about me?”

She smiled at him. She was surprised that he actually told her how he felt. “I have strong feelings for you too Tormund. I’m willing to try and move forward with our relationship.”

He pulled her in for a kiss on the forehead and then looked into her eyes. “There’s something else I need to tell you.” He whispered.

She was concerned with his tone. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“I…”

Tormund was interrupted by the doorbell. He got up and answered the door. Brienne could see someone through the halfway open door but she turned her attention to checking her phone and sipping her wine. Tormund went outside and shut the door behind him. She could hear shouting outside the house but couldn’t make out what was being said. She decided to finish her wine and text Sansa while she waited. She was so engulfed in responding to Sansa’s dirty text messages that she didn’t see Tormund come back in and approach her.

“Brienne?” Tormund said quietly trying to get her attention.

She finished texting and looked up at him, eyes widened in surprise. He was holding a frail, long limbed, curly red headed boy in his arms that was fast asleep.

Looking at her face, he gave a half smile seeing that she was in complete shock. “This is my lil lad, my son, Torrin…”


	7. Jon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the back story in this chapter. Feedback is a gift. Thanks for reading and feel free to comment.

The week on week off schedule made sense now. She had mixed feelings about it all of it and had so many questions. She wasn’t opposed to him having a child but why did he keep it a secret? Was there more to the story? Was he married? He couldn’t be. He wouldn’t do that to her. Was he divorced? She just didn’t understand why he kept this from her. This was big. This was big for their future, if they were going to have one.

He took Torrin to his bedroom and returned to the couch next to her. He could see that she was still in shock and wanted to give her the opportunity to express her thoughts. He poured another glass of wine. “Ask away. I know you have questions.”

Brienne tried to pour another glass of wine but the bottle was empty. “Do you have more wine? Let’s start with that.”

Tormund headed to the kitchen, uncorked two bottles of wine and returned to the pit. He went to pour another glass of wine for her but she snatched the bottle from him and took it straight to the head. There was an uncomfortable silence while she downed half of the wine bottle.

“Please tell me you’re not married or cheating on a girlfriend or something.” She took another sip of wine. “Was that his mother? At the door?” Another sip. “That’s a baby Tormund. A baby. Why did you keep this from me?” The buzz was starting to affect her. Her nerves were calming.

He thought that his reason was logical but would she think so. “Not married, not cheating, not his mother at the door.” He sighed. “I’m sorry I kept this from you but I wanted to see where this relationship was going before I told you about the most important thing in my life. I’d rather be attached to someone and lose them instead of him.”

Brienne took another swig of the bottle and a deep breath. When she looked at Tormund, he had a look of shame on his face. She wasn’t mad that he had a baby and she understood why he wouldn’t want to bring someone into his life if they weren’t going to be a permanent fixture, but this was a big pill to swallow. She needed an answer to her most important question. “Where’s his mother?”

Tormund leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. He exhaled for what seemed like a minute and sunk his head in his hands. “She’s gone… and never coming back.”

Brienne turned her body towards him and placed her elbow on the back of the couch. “Did she leave you?”

“She left us…she died a little over a year ago.”

Brienne eyes widened. She didn’t know what to say next.

“Torrin will be two years old in a few weeks and he has been without a mother since he was 9 months old.”

Brienne took another sip of wine. This was a bit too much for her. She was not expecting the night to turn out this way. “Did you love her?”

“No. She loved someone else. One night we were partying at a friend’s house, got piss drunk and the next thing I know she’s sucking my cock and we’re fucking. We woke up the next morning regretting everything. We weren’t going to say anything about it but she found out she was pregnant. She wanted to keep the baby and give it a family life so we decided to stay together. We tried to make it work but there were complications, mostly her still being in love with someone else. I was playing rugby and she was alone with the baby and she resented me. We argued all the time and she kept going on and on about how she wanted to be with the man she loved. I decided to let her go but she ended up having a brain aneurysm out of the blue and she was gone…just like that.”

Brienne saw the sadness in Tormund and put an arm around his shoulder. It was the only thing she could think of to let him know that she cared and wanted to support him. “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. We don’t have to talk about it anymore.”

“The woman at the door.” He continued. “That was Hilda, Torrin’s aunt. She has been helping me out every other week at night. She absolutely hates me, as well as her family. She wants to be with Torrin because he is the only part of her sister that she has left. I also pay her to watch him during the day. She has four young sons of her own. She is talking about moving back home soon and wants to take Torrin with her but I can’t let her do that.” He took a deep breath and sat back on the couch. He signaled for her to pass him the bottle of wine and he chugged half the bottle. He looked at Brienne whose mind seemed to be off in space. “What are you thinking?”

She gave him a faint smile. “Nothing right now except this is not what I expected when you said you needed to tell me something. I need time to process all of this.”

He nodded his head in acceptance to her answer even though he was not happy. “Let me show you something.” He took her hand and led her to the other side of the house she had never seen. Tormund and Jon agreed to keep this portion of the house off limits. The only person who had ever been partially down the long hallway was Sansa and she got as far as the guest bedroom which was the first open doorway on the right. Jon’s bedroom followed behind it with Torrin’s room at the back. All of the bedrooms had their own bathrooms. The left side of the hallway, besides the laundry room across from the guestroom was entirely Tormund’s master bedroom. It was huge and featured a mini pit facing panoramic doors that led out to a private backyard with an infinity pool. The view outdoors showed beautiful mountains.

“This place is beautiful.” She said looking out at the mountains.

Tormund sprawled out on his bed. “And this is where the magic happens.” Brienne turned her attention to him and gave a half smile. “I’m only kidding. Unfortunately, this bed has not been christened.”

“That’s hard to believe.” She retorted.

“Why don’t you stay here tonight? We’ve both had way too much to drink.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. Was he trying to pull a fast one on her? She was too drunk to tell. “I should probably go home.”

“Nonsense. You can sleep in the guestroom if that makes you more comfortable.” He went into his bathroom and reappeared with an oversized t-shirt and a pair of boxers. “You can sleep in these. I can throw your clothes in the washer if you’d like.”

Tormund walked her to the guestroom and waited while she changed in the bathroom. He smiled at her when she came out in his shirt and shorts. “I look good on you. Very sexy.”

She smiled at him as she undressed the bed down to the sheets. “Goodnight Tormund.”

“Goodnight.”

 

Tormund tossed and turned in his bed. He was relieved Brienne finally knew about the baby and all he had gone through. It felt good to get it off his chest. He was very discouraged that even though Brienne said she wasn’t upset, there was a possibility that their relationship could be over before it even started. He was in love with her and it hurt that his past could negatively impact his future. He didn’t even get a chance to tell her that he was in love…

Brienne laid in bed restless as well. She was finally turning the corner in their relationship and his bombshell smacked her right in the face. She was so confused on what to do. A little over a year ago she lost her daughter and wasn’t sure if she was ready to be around children, let alone a motherless baby. What if Torrin didn’t like her? It wouldn’t make sense to be with a guy whose child didn’t like her. Maybe she needed to spend time with him. She was willing to at least do that before she decided on her relationship with Tormund. She really liked him and was afraid it was turning into some stronger than that but she wasn’t ready to admit that thought, even to herself. She wished she had more wine…

There was a knock on her door. She turned on her back and sat up slightly on the pillows to see Tormund standing in the moonlight with another bottle of wine and two glasses. He was shirtless as usual, with a pair of athletic shorts sitting low on his waist, all his muscle definition radiating in the dim light. He was a beautiful sight to her in the light or dark. She felt butterflies in her stomach and a familiar ache below her waist every time she saw him half naked. It had been happening more often lately. Tonight, it was the wine. It had to be the wine.

“I couldn’t sleep. How about a nightcap?” He held up the glasses and wine bottle.

She nodded to him and sat up in the middle of the bed. He sat at the side of the bed near her. He poured them drinks and they drank once more. “Jon told me that you been through a lot in the past year. I wanted to know if you were comfortable enough to tell me about it.”

She put her glass on the nightstand. Was she ready to tell him about all she had gone through? This would be the first time she explained all that had happened. The only people who knew the whole story was Jon and Sansa. Was she willing to let him in? If he could let all of his skeletons out of the closet to give her all of him, didn’t he deserve the same in return? She looked away collecting her thoughts and he took her hand in his.

“If you’re not ready…”

“I was with someone that I loved for a really long time. His family never thought I was good enough for him and his sister was the biggest bitch in the world to me. He cheated repeatedly and I didn’t have the strength or confidence to leave him. I would find out but he would beg me not to leave him and I would stay. He asked me to marry him but his father said he would not allow it unless I had a child. I thought that if we started a family, things would get better but it didn’t. There was so much pressure on me from his father to give him a child and we tried for a year before I got pregnant. I had a miscarriage at six weeks the first time and I was devastated. Our relationship got even worse after that and his family belittled me even more. I ended up pregnant again and things got a little better, until his father died and gave his daughter power of attorney over his estate.” Brienne drank her entire glass of wine and took a deep breath. “I was twenty-two weeks along, I was having a baby girl and I couldn’t have been happier. I went home that night and to this day I can’t remember all the details of what happened. All I remember was that an argument with his sister turned physical and I blacked out. When I awoke, I was at the bottom of the stairs confused and in pain. I felt some sharp pains in my stomach so I went to the hospital and well, there is no baby so you can figure out the rest.”

Tormund couldn’t believe what he heard. “It sounds like she pushed you down the stairs and murdered your baby. Did you call the police?”

“I went to file a report and she told them we both fell down the stairs and that I attacked her. The family has lawyers and police officers in their back pocket. There was nothing I could really do.” Brienne took the wine bottle and put it to her mouth.

“And the boyfriend? Where was he in all of this?”

“He was nowhere to be found that night. I didn’t hear from him until the next day. More than likely he was partying and screwing someone else. When he found out about everything he took his sisters side to stay in her good graces. That was my final straw. I moved out and we broke up for good.”

“You were done with him after that right?”

Brienne shook her head. “As a couple we were done but I did have moments of weakness and we did sleep together a few times after. I’m not proud of it but I was still sad and alone.”

“We all do things that we are not proud of.” Tormund took the bottle and drank from it. “I’m happy you trusted me enough to tell me about it.”

Brienne felt relieved talking about what happened. It was the first time she ever spoke about it in detail. The fact there were no tears meant she was finally healing from it all and Jamie’s apology helped immensely. It was over and done but there was one thing Brienne needed to tell Tormund. “There’s something that I need to tell you about Jon and I…”

********************************************

 

Jon dragged his feet down the long, quiet, sterile hallway of the hospital. He was broken, sick to his stomach. The love of his life was gone. They were making plans to move in together and now none of that mattered. The tears kept coming down and they wouldn’t stop. Why? He thought. Life was unfair. He would never love again. He received a text from Brienne. _I’m at the hospital. My baby is gone. I need to deliver her. I’m alone and scared. Room 404._

Jon went to the bathroom and got himself together. He needed to be there for Brienne and needed to put his own feelings aside. When he entered the room, Brienne was sobbing uncontrollably. The doctor explained that the baby didn’t have a heartbeat and that she needed to deliver her. He put his arm around Brienne and consoled her as best he could. “I’m so sorry Brienne. Don’t worry. I’ll be here for you.”

The doctor told them the nurses would be in to prep her soon and everything would be ok. The doctor assumed Jon was the father and told him he could be there with her when she gave birth. He left the room before Jon could tell him he wasn’t the father.

“Where the fuck is Jaime?” he yelled.

“I don’t know. I called and texted him.” Brienne started crying. “I can’t believe she’s gone.”

With a few easy pushes, Jon watched Brienne give birth to the tiny baby. The nurse took the baby still in the amniotic sac and placed it in a small basket. Brienne couldn’t bear to say goodbye but she did with Jon by her side. She felt dead inside as she laid her head back and the tears fell from her eyes.

Within a few more hours she was discharged and Jon took her home. He helped her into bed and laid beside her, both facing each other. He brushed a few strands of hair from her face and wiped some of her tears away. She saw the tears in his eyes as well. “I lost someone I loved tonight too Brienne. I understand your pain. We can mourn together.”

Jon kissed her forehead, lifted her chin and planted a soft kiss on her lips. He pulled her head in closer, deepening the kiss. Brienne was shocked and pushed away from him, sitting up abruptly. “We can’t do this. We can never do this. You’re like my brother.”

Jon was embarrassed by his actions. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. It will never happen again.”

Brienne gave him a look of understanding and didn’t judge him because she understood that in his crucial moment of pain, he had a lapse in judgement. “It’s ok.” She gave him a faint smile. “Nothing happened.” She eased back down into bed and pulled him down with her, laying her head on his chest. They found comfort in each other’s arms that night and fell asleep…

 

************************************************

Tormund was shocked with that revelation. He took in the story with a better understanding for Jon’s feelings for Brienne. “I can understand why Jon is so protective of you. He believes that I hurt the only woman he ever loved and now he’s afraid that I might hurt you.”

Brienne’s eyes widened. “Wait! What? I don’t understand. You hurt the woman he loved?”

“Jon was in love with Torrin’s mom. Her name was Ygritte. She was leaving me for him and he blamed me for her death. I thought we had gotten past that rough patch and then you came along and it stirred up some old feelings for him.” Tormund stood up and walked to the window. “Now you know everything.”

“I think you two have unresolved issues that you need to get of your chest. You should talk to him.” Brienne thought it was a good time to turn the focus back to them. “As far as our relationship, I think I need to spend time around Torrin and see if he likes me. I can’t fully commit to you if he’s not onboard.”

Tormund stared out into the darkness for a while and Brienne stared up at the ceiling. The silence seemed to calm them both. Tormund sat beside her again and rubbed her leg that was covered by the sheet. “I’ll see what I can do with Jon. In the meantime, are you gonna at least let me sleep in this bed with you? You’ve already told me that our relationship is on hold and that Torrin holds our fate. Can I feel the warmth of your body next to mine?”

Brienne smiled at him, lowered the sheet and held out her arms beckoning him to come to her. “I’m too drunk to object. We’re just going to sleep right?”

Tormund shook his head in agreement, climbed into the bed and laid beside her. “Is this how Jon laid beside you before he made his move?” She shook her head and looked at him with disappointed eyes. “Ok, I’m sorry. I won’t mention it again. It’s just that it would be awkward if we keep sleeping with the same women.”

“I’ve only been with my ex.” Brienne regretted it the minute she said it.

Tormund raised his eyebrow with a devilish grin. “When you say been with… do you mean what I think you mean?” He rolled on top of her quickly before she could even object. “So, you don’t even know what you like or don’t like. You have nothing to compare it to.” He had her pinned underneath him and there was nothing she could do. She was drunk and decided not to fight him. He positioned his lower body between her legs placing all his weight on hers. He held his upper body up with his forearms and she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I can touch you in ways that you’ve never been touched before.” He slid his hand under her shirt and brushed his hand gently up her side. “I can kiss you in places you’ve never been kissed before.” He planted light kisses under her ear to her collarbone. She shivered underneath him and let out faint moan. He looked into her eyes and saw that he had her right where he wanted her. “Let me show you some things tonight Brienne. I promise you’ll like it.”

She caressed his shoulders. “I can’t have sex with you Tormund. It’ll just complicate things.”

“No sex.” He answered before bringing his lips to hers…

 

************************************************

 

Jon and Dany weren’t seeing eye to eye lately so he decided to take a break from her place and head home. He saw Brienne’s car in the driveway and two empty glasses on the table in the pit. As he entered the long hallway to his room, he walked past the guestroom and poked his head into the open door. As he edged into the room, he heard giggling and soft moans. Unsurprised, he saw Tormund’s body only covered from the waist down, nestled between an exposed leg that he was caressing. His bare muscular back was being rubbed by the person he was hovering over as they made out like high school teenagers. He couldn’t see Brienne but he knew it was her. He left before they noticed he was there.

The rest of the night did not make the situation better. His bedroom was right behind the guestroom and he heard their voices but couldn’t make out what was being said. Whatever was being said made Brienne either giggle or moan and occasionally Tormund would groan in what sounded like pleasure. After what seemed like hours the noise stopped and Jon was able to drift off to sleep.

 

*********************************************

 

Brienne walked into the kitchen tired and dehydrated. She was startled by Jon and Torrin sitting at the island hanging out together.

“Good morning. Did you have a good time last? Sounded like you did. You look cute in Tormund’s shirt and shorts.”

Brienne’s cheeks reddened. She didn’t know Jon heard them last night. It was a good thing they only fooled around and didn’t actually have sex. It wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have with someone she considered family. “I had a bit too much to drink last night and decided it would be best to sleep it off instead of drive home.”

“You actually slept last night because I didn’t. Not until maybe three hours ago. I’m surprised Torrin slept through the night with all the talking, giggling and moaning.” Jon was upset that Brienne slept over and wouldn’t even admit that she had sex with Tormund. His best friend and family friend hooking up would only become messy. He gave Torrin his sippy cup. “So while you two were hooking up, Torrin decided to crash my bedroom, wake me up and hang out with me this morning. I guess when he went to look for his dad, he wasn’t in his own bed. It’s ok though. I love him.” He ruffled Torrin’s hair and smiled.

There was a long uncomfortable silence. She wanted to ask him about Torrin’s mom and if that was why he hated her and Tormund together.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she started.

“About Torrin? That wasn’t my story to tell.”

“No Jon…about Ygritte. Why didn’t you tell me you were in love with his mother?”

“Tormund actually told you everything? Wow, I’m surprised.” Jon was shocked that he actually told her the whole story. He wondered why she would still even be interested in him. What was the attraction? Was it the sex? Was it his personality? Was it because he wasn’t Jaime? In a sense they were similar and he felt Brienne made a bad choice in Jaime and now Tormund.

“He did… and I told him everything too. Even about what happened between us.”

Jon sighed and sulked his head. “We promised never to speak about that to anyone.”

“We were both hurting that night and nothing really happened. It’s not something we should be ashamed of.” She knew she broke his trust but things happen when you’re drunk. “He’s not going to say anything to anyone. I just thought it was best he knew everything.”

Jon was done with the conversation. He felt betrayed by Tormund and Brienne and needed to get away. “I’m heading out. You got the kid or do I need to wake his distrustful dad?”

Brienne looked at Jon and shook her head in disappointment. “I’ll take care of him. What did you feed him?”

Jon pointed to the sippy cup and a granola bar that Torrin didn’t eat. As he walked past, Brienne put a hand on his shoulder. “We only slept together last night…literally.”

“Right.” Jon patted her hand and left.

Brienne looked at Torrin and smiled. He sat in the chair, his hair was a curly red mess, eyes following her wherever she went. “I guess it’s just you and me now.”

 


	8. Family: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy this chapter. Broke it up into two chapters for better flow. Feedback is always a gift as it keeps me writing. Thanks for reading.

Brienne made good on her promise to spend more time with Torrin. He was the sweetest little boy and they bonded rather quickly. She nicknamed him TJ with Tormund’s approval because it drove her crazy when she called one of them and they both answered. Tormund told her some of the issues he was having with TJ as far as his eating and sleeping habits. She corrected his sleep routine by getting him on a set schedule where he ate dinner, took a bath, got a book read to him with lights out at 8pm. She scolded Tormund for not having food in the house that a baby would eat. “He can’t eat a granola bar for breakfast.” She told him. She spent the rest of the week cooking up different foods and found out that TJ was not a fan of meat.

“What kid doesn’t eat meat?” Tormund questioned.

Brienne persuaded Tormund to enroll the baby in school rather than have him stay at home with a nanny or Hilda. He admitted that he was paying Hilda five thousand a month so that she would stay in town and take care of TJ for him. Brienne told him he was being taken advantage of but he said he needed the help and it kept TJ close to his mother’s family. Hilda was irate when Tormund told her about the school and she told him she would no longer keep TJ every other week. He still gave her half the money even though she was nasty to him. He didn’t want to create more animosity since their relationship was already strained.

Brienne also suggested TJ get a haircut for the massive amount of hair that he hated to wash or brush. Tormund wasn’t opposed as he hated to comb his own hair so he took him to the barber and had the sides cut low and left a manageable length of ginger curls on the top. He looked adorable and gathered many compliments in public.

They took TJ to the park together after Brienne got off work, she took him to his dad’s games every week and they went to the beach every Sunday morning. They were becoming a little family without even noticing it. When they found the perfect school for TJ, the administrator addressed Brienne as his mom and an amused Tormund begged her not to correct her.

After they put TJ to bed at night, Tormund settled into the guest room with Brienne where they would either talk and drink, cuddle, or fool around depending on the mood. They already had a few close calls, where Brienne had to send him back to his own room. It got harder to reject Tormund’s sexual advances and Brienne knew it was only a matter of time before she succumbed to his charm. He praised her every day for being there for his son and spending more time with him. Brienne started to become comfortable and confident in her relationship with him. The biggest issue she still had was keeping their relationship private. Only a handful of people knew about TJ and her pending relationship with Tormund, but it was only a matter of time before everyone knew everything.

Tormund knew he had to fulfill a promise to Brienne by talking to Jon about their differences. Jon hadn’t been around the house much and wasn’t showing up for practice. He found out through Nick that Jon quit the team to spend more time with Dany and focus on the tech company.

Coming in from practice, he met Jon in the driveway packing suitcases into his trunk. Their eyes met and there was a long silence between the two.

Tormund folded his arms and raised his eyebrow at Jon. “Moving?”

“I’m going to stay with Dany for a while until I find my own place. I don’t want to put a damper on the new family that’s forming here.” Jon continued packing his bags.

Tormund was utterly annoyed with Jon. He didn’t want to start an argument but things needed to be said. Jon was his best friend and partner at his company, his high profiting company. “What’s going on with us Jon? You’re my best friend and I feel like our relationship is tanking again. We were able to work out our differences about Ygritte but now you’re angry with me about Brienne.”

Jon opened his car door. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. You guys are together, great. Torrin loves her, great. She’s happy, great. Just don’t fuck it up. She’s a great person Tormund. She deserves to be loved by the right person.”

Tormund raised his eyebrow at that remark. “Do you love her?”

Jon knew the undertones of the question and part of him wanted to put Tormund in his place but he decided to take the high road. “I love her as I’ve always loved her, like a sister. Nothing more.” Jon closed his car door and drove away.

Tormund watched his best friend leave and wondered if they would ever be the same again…

 

Later that night in bed, Tormund told Brienne of the conversation he had with Jon and that he still wasn’t sure where their friendship stood. She told him to give Jon time and that he has never been a person to adjust to change very quickly. Tormund shrugged it off as he had his own plans in mind.

“I know we don’t get a lot of privacy here when we go out. We have a bye week coming up soon and I wanted to take a family trip to the Bahamas for TJ’s birthday. Me, you, TJ, Sansa and Pod. What do you think?”

“Why Sansa and Pod?” she questioned.

He smiled at her. “Because they’ve been fucking for months.”

She smiled back and shook her head in disagreement. “No way. Sansa would have told me.”

“There was no reason to tell you something that was so obvious. Why do you think she always ask where you will be staying for the night? Your apartment has become a regular sex den.”

Brienne thought for a minute and then they both laughed.

“What do you think? Family time in the Bahamas?” Tormund pleaded with angel eyes.

Brienne wasn’t opposed to going but she had already asked for three weeks off for her fathers scheduled surgery. Maybe she should could ask for an extension since he was referring to the week before she left. It would be nice to be able to interact like a couple in public instead of just friends. “I can try to ask my boss. If he says yes, I’d love to go.”

 

********************************************************

 

The three-bedroom villa off the beach was better than anyone could have imagined with the master bedroom having a separate entrance to the beach. They reserved the daytime for TJ and all the energy he had. Wherever they took him, they would get compliments on how cute their _son_ was. Brienne didn’t want to believe her feelings of jealousy when women would coo over TJ and flirt with Tormund at the same time. Sometimes she wished that she was more confrontational but unlike her strikingly strong, powerful appearance, she was as gentle as a butterfly. At night everyone would have dinner together or Pod and Sansa would watch TJ so that Tormund and Brienne could explore the island alone.

Tormund took Brienne out to a fancy restaurant that was recommended by a tour guide. It was set near the beach in a secluded area for adults only. They both got decked out for the occasion with Brienne wearing a spaghetti strapped fitted black dress and Tormund wearing black dress pants with a dark green sports jacket covering a white dress shirt. Sansa did her makeup and she fixed her hair the way Tormund liked it best, wet, parted, half straight back and the other half across the side of her face.

Sansa looked at her work. “I bet you don’t make it out the front door if he sees you like this.”  

“I’m not going back in the room so there is no worry in that.” Brienne giggled.

The restaurant was crowded and when they both entered, they caught the eyes of many of the patrons. Both were tall, one super blonde and one super red, something that the island didn’t see often at the same time. Brienne was a little uncomfortable but Tormund held her hand and gave her a smile that reassured her that everything would be ok. He reserved a table near the waterfront off to the side of the restaurant. They enjoyed some small talk while looking at the menu.

A pretty waitress came over and Brienne could tell she was instantly attracted to Tormund. Everywhere they went, the ginger gained the attention of women. Was it the unkept hair, his piercing eyes, his broad shoulders, his half smile, his striking beard? What was it? Was it that eyebrow? It was the eyebrow. It was that damn eyebrow that had conversations of its own. She decided to look past it and enjoy the rest of the romantic dinner. They didn’t get to eat alone as often anymore now that Tormund had become a fulltime dad. The night was going well until the waitress handed Tormund the check.

 

Brienne was silent the entire ride home and when they got back to the villa she checked in on TJ and headed to the bedroom without saying a word to Sansa. Tormund stayed in the living room to give her some space and maybe get some advice from Sansa on how to handle the situation.

Tormund took off his blazer and loosened his tie. “The waitress was flirting all night and then she left her name and phone number on the check. I didn’t think Brienne saw it but she did.”

Sansa shook her head and frowned. “She’s sensitive about that kind of stuff and always has been. You’re not the first good looking guy she’s dated.”

Tormund gave a confused look with that remark but Sansa decided to throw a subtle hint as well. “I think she’s sexually frustrated. I know you two haven’t…you know.”

Tormund raised his eyebrow at her, slightly embarrassed. “Is that what you think or what she told you?”

“It’s what I know. You’re both sexually frustrated. You need to go in there and handle your business.” Sansa walked towards her room. “I’ll watch the baby for you. No more heavy petting. Get it done.”

 

Tormund eased the bedroom door open and slid in. He set his blazer on the chair as Brienne appeared from the bathroom in her short silk nightgown. The cool ocean breeze contrasted with the bathroom mist making the air moist.

“You undressed without me?” he joked as he removed his tie and unbuttoned his shirt.

Brienne looked at him with sad eyes and turned the covers down on the bed. He grabbed her arm before she could get in and pulled her to him, firmly placing his hands on her hips. "I’m sorry about tonight. Women are physically attracted to me Brienne but you have something they will never have.” He took her hand and placed it on his bare chest. “My heart... it belongs to you. I'm in love with you."

He pulled her in a tight hug, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair. She held onto him and relaxed in his arms. “I didn’t get to tell you how beautiful you looked tonight and that I had a really good time.”

She nestled her head in his neck feeling his beard on her face. “You always look good. The sexiest ginger I know.”

He grinned and lightly kissed her forehead, then the tip of her nose and then her lips passionately. She pushed his already open shirt off his shoulders helping him remove it completely. He pulled away from the kiss, looking at her intense eyes. There was something different about her tonight that he couldn’t decipher, but he intended to push the limits if she’d let him. He slid his fingers underneath the straps of her nightgown and removed them from her shoulders. He pulled the straps down her arms with the nightgown falling with it, her naked body exposed in front of him. He took a moment to look at her before moving her back onto the bed, lowering her down as his tongue roamed her mouth. He settled his body between her legs, digging his covered erection against her womanhood. He cupped and caressed her hard nipples and trailed kisses down the bottom of her ear, to her neck, to her collarbone before taking her breast into his mouth. His soft lips and soft beard sent tingles through her skin. She gasped and arched her back in pleasure taking a fistful of his hair in her hand, tugging it. He groaned in pleasurable pain and continued kissing down her stomach.

He dropped off the bed again to his knees pulling her legs over his shoulders. He licked and sucked a trail from her knees to her inner thigh before gently biting her skin. The moaning of his name on her lips made his cock pulsate in his pants. He slid two fingers inside of her and brought his lips to her nub, gently licking and sucking on it while moving his fingers in and out of her. She squirmed underneath him trying to break free but he had a firm grip on one of her thighs. All she could do was moan and squeeze his head between her thighs. She clenched the sheets and begged him to stop, so he obliged giving her a devilish grin.

He stood up in front of her and wiped her wetness from his mouth bringing her to a seated position. He tilted his head back and moaned softly as she ran her fingers up his sides, to his chest and back down his stomach while placing kisses below his belly button. She unbuckled his belt and pants button as he massaged his hand through her damp hair. She pulled his pants and boxers down in one swoop and his cock emerged, long and hard. “Oh fuck…” he groaned as she took it inside her mouth, in and out, as deep as she could, using her hand to stroke the parts she knew her mouth would never reach. He was turned on by her forceful grip with her hand and her mouth. His groans became deep and husky and she tasted him in her mouth. As he was coming close to climax he begged her to stop.

Fire ran through his body as he scooped her up by her lower body and fell on top of her. He rubbed his hardness against her wetness and pinned her body beneath his, setting his upper body weight on his forearms. He said lowly, his voice full of lust. “I’m not stopping tonight.”

“Don’t.” she replied faintly.

He tried to find her eyes in the darkness for reassurance but couldn’t so his lips found hers instead. As he slid inside her, she broke their kiss and moaned out loud. She wrapped her arms around his neck cupping the back of his head and he slid all the way inside her. _Wet, warm_ and _tight_ was all he could feel as he gripped the sheets trying to compose himself. She was well worth the wait and felt better than he imagined. He closed his eyes and continued to move inside her, his warm breath at her ear. She locked her legs around his waist and arched her back, bringing her body closer to his. With every stroke he settled inside her, letting her feel all of him before filling her again. Her body moved in motion with his steady pace and her erotic moans urged him to go deeper and deeper inside her. She tightened her grip on him causing him to moan out and stop moving.

She used the opportunity to roll on top of him and pin his arms by his head. He looked up at her, eyes dark with passion as she began to move on top of him. She rode him like a knight riding her horse into battle. _Hard, intense_ , and _fast_ was all he could feel as he called out her name. She let go of his hands and pulled him up as she could feel the intensity rising in her body. With their bodies close, she slipped her arms around his neck and he placed his hands on her hips to control her motions. She was becoming too much for him to handle and he pleaded in her ear. “Slow down… your gonna make me…” She tightened her grip, moved harder, and as her body shook on top of him, he also emptied his love, passion, lust and seed inside of her. They both sat there, bodies knitted together, breathing heavy as they returned from sexual bliss. She kissed his forehead as he laid back on the bed pulling her on top of him.

As their breathing evened out, he caressed her back. “You were well worth the wait my love.”

She looked up at him, smiled and returned her head to his chest.

“Will you always pin me down and take advantage of me? I can get used to that.”

She moved off his chest and laid by his side. There was a peaceful silence between the two as she caressed his face. “I want more.”

“I’m going to need about 30 minutes to recover from that last session, but sure we can go again.” He replied.

She smiled once again. “No. I mean I want more in this relationship. I want us to be together. I want to help you raise TJ. I want us to get married.” She paused for a moment. “I want us to have children together.” She sat up and looked into his eyes. “I love you Tormund.”


	9. Family: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in the chapters. I'm starting to get really busy. This will be one of the last chapters before the drama picks up. As always, feedback is a gift and thanks for reading.

Brienne finished dressing as Tormund came into bedroom through the beach entrance. He was smiling ear to ear as he approached her and sat her down at the edge of the bed. “You’re finally up sleepy head.”

“Three hours of sleep isn’t fair to anyone.” She replied sluggishly.

“Well…last night and this morning was incredible.” He swept the rose over her nose and gave her a sweet kiss on the lips. “I have a gift for you, but I need to talk to you first.” He opened her legs and got down on his knees in front of her.

Brienne took a deep breath and looked deeply into his eyes.

“You scared the hell out of me last night. This relationship is moving at an uncomfortable pace and I don’t know how to fix it. One minute you want to take it super slow and then last night…last night you were at light speed.” He took her hand in his and kissed it. “I need to know. Did you speed things up because you think you’re going to lose me?”

Brienne sighed. She didn’t know if she should be honest with him since he said he was scared. Part of her was feeling the pressure of not committing to him and her other half just wanted him. The time they spent together the last few weeks made her realize she did want to build a family with him, but she did feel pressure of losing him to someone else. She was never a confident person when it came to matters of the heart. She closed her eyes.

“Brienne?”

“Yes…” she finally admitted.

He raised his eyebrow and sighed. “I figured that.” He brushed the rose over her nose again and she opened her eyes. “It seems like you’re lacking confidence in me and in this whole relationship, unless of course you have me pinned underneath you or you’re taking care of TJ. You’re a different person in those aspects.”

She looked away from him, slightly embarrassed knowing that he was accurate in his assumptions. She could be a great parent to TJ with her eyes closed. He was the sweetest child she had ever interacted with and he was the main reason she felt she wanted to try to have another baby. She was broken for a long time and he helped her heal that sadness in her life. Tormund was also right about her confidence in bed. Having him submit to her dominance was a complete turn on and one she could get used to.

He shook his head in disappointment as her demeanor upset him. “Brienne. You didn’t want to sleep with me last night? I asked…”

“You didn’t ask, you told me you weren’t stopping, and I was ok with it because I wanted you as much as you wanted me. I’ve wanted you for quite some time.” She looked back at him and saw his uneasy gaze. “Last night and this morning was incredible. I don’t regret any of it.” She gently kissed his lips.

“What can I do to make you feel more comfortable in this relationship? Wait…we are in one now right?” he scratched his head. “I hope we are.”

She brushed her fingers across his ginger beard and smiled. “I’m yours Tormund.”

“I love you Brienne. I fell in love with you on our first date on the boardwalk. I know that you’ve been through a lot and maybe that’s why you’re scared but I’m here.” He put her hand to his heart. “You have this. No other woman has ever had it. You do want it right?”

She massaged her other hand through his unkept hair. “Yes. I want all of you.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” He got up on one knee. “Brienne… you said you wanted us to be together. I’m here and have given you my heart. You said you wanted to help raise TJ. I want you to be in his life however you seem fit. You said you want to get married.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out a ring box and opened it revealing a princess cut diamond ring. He looked into her bright blue eyes. “This is for you. This is not an official proposal because I want you to wear the ring when you’re ready. I’ll be ready when you’re ready.” He closed the box and placed it in her hand. “As far as a baby...” He gave her a devilish grin. “Well that’s up to you. Let me know when you stop taking the pill and we can get on that right away. It won’t take long, I can promise you that. In the meantime, I don’t want to stop practicing though. I like that part.”

They laughed and she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a warm embrace.

“Whenever you’re ready, I’m ready. I love you Brienne.”

She kissed his forehead. “I love you too…so much. Now let’s go check on our boy…”

 

Sansa leaned on the kitchen counter and sipped her tea. She watched Brienne and Tormund snuggle up on the couch, not able to keep their hands off each other. She knew that something major happened last night and she wanted to know the details. She sat on the couch across from them watching them make out like high school teenagers under the bleachers.

She cleared her throat. “You two finally did it. I can tell by your body language.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Brienne replied innocently.

“Oh hush. I heard you guys last night and this morning. Actually, I heard more Tormund than anything…and here I thought Tormund was the brute.” She winked at Tormund. “She turned you out and now you’re whipped.”

Tormund’s face turned as red as his hair and Brienne giggled. “Sansa, we don’t ask you about your sex life with Pod. Don’t ask about ours. Where’s TJ?”

Sansa laughed. “I will get the details eventually. I’m just glad it finally happened. TJ is still sleeping in the room with Pod. I’ll go check on them.”

 

Sansa and Pod came out of the room with a sleepy-eyed TJ. He bypassed Tormund and went straight into Brienne’s lap. He smothered her with kisses, making Tormund a little jealous.

“Well I see who his favorite is.”

Brienne sensed his jealousy and giggled. “Don’t you want to give daddy a hug and kiss?”

With a devilish smirk, he hopped into his father’s lap and hugged him. “I love you daddy.”

“Aww… how sweet. Look at the devil spawn with his family. Pod and I are going to roam the island today. We’ll see you guys later.”

Tormund and Brienne spent the day on the beach with TJ. They chatted about everything from his upcoming photoshoots and games to her trip home to see her father. At lunch, Tormund was more conscience of his flirtatious ways and made an effort to focus solely on Brienne when women tried to flirt. TJ’s mood changed drastically and he became whiney, not eating any of his food. When they got back to the villa, he wanted Brienne’s full attention.

“Let’s go sleepy time…” he demanded as he pulled her to the room.

She obliged asking him if he felt well. He didn’t respond but fell fast asleep as she pulled him close to her. Sansa, Pod and Tormund were chatting when she came back out.

“Is he alright?” Tormund asked.

“I guess so.”

They all sat around talking about how they spent the day when TJ started crying. Tormund brought him out of the room with a concerned look on his face. He was crying, face flush, tugging at his ear.

“He feels hot Brienne.”

Both Sansa and Brienne walked over to Tormund and put their hands on TJ.

“He definitely has a fever.” Sansa assessed.

“Let’s get him to a doctor.”

Tormund and Brienne found the medic center on the island and waited for the doctor to see them. Brienne watched Tormund pace the room while she cradled a whimpering TJ in her arms. It was the first time she had ever seen him so worried.

“He’s going to be ok Tormund. They will take good care of him.”

“What’s taking so long?” Tormund opened the room door and closed it.

It seemed like hours before someone came to check on them. A nurse finally came in and took TJ’s temperature and blood pressure as he put up a fight not wanting to be touched. He held on to Brienne tightly as the nurse tried to assess him.

“It’s ok. You can hold onto your mommy.” The nurse tried her best to gain favor with TJ. “Does anything hurt?”

Brienne brushed her hand through his red hair. “It’s ok. I’m right here. You can tell her if something hurts.”

He looked at Brienne for assurance and then the nurse. He pulled his ear and then put his head back on Brienne’s chest.

“It’s possible he may have an ear infection. I’ll let the doctor know. He should be in shortly.” The nurse smiled at Brienne and then Tormund and exited the room.

Tormund calmed down and sat beside Brienne also trying to comfort TJ. Being a fulltime dad was new to him and he never had to deal with TJ being sick. He was a nervous wreck but also amazed at how much of a natural Brienne was at parenting. He was thankful for her and this made him love her even more. Almost an hour later, the doctor came in and accessed a very fidgety and cranky TJ.

“He has an ear infection in both ears which caused the fever. It could have happened for numerous reasons. I’ll prescribe and antibiotic for seven days and you can also give him some over the counter medicine for the fever and pain. Do you have any questions?”

Brienne looked at Tormund before responding. “No. Thank you very much.”

The doctor shook their hands and looked down at TJ. “You’ll be ok little man. Your mommy and daddy will take good care of you.”

Tormund smiled at Brienne. She had been called _mommy_ the entire trip and just went with it. It had to be uncomfortable but she never showed it. “C’mon lil lad. Mommy and daddy will take you home.”

 

Tormund gave Brienne a break while TJ slept on the ride home. It had been a long day and she had barely slept the night before. She dozed off a little and laid on Tormund’s shoulder. It felt good. Everything. They felt like a family. It’s what he always wanted.

At the villa, Brienne gave TJ his meds and plopped down on the couch while Tormund dressed him for bed and tucked him in. When he came back out Brienne had already fallen asleep.

He nudged her gently. “You were really good with him today. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

She smiled and pulled him down to her for a sweet kiss. “We make a great team. I love you.”

They heard TJ crying in the other room and as Brienne got up to get him, Tormund stopped her. “I’ll get him.”

Tormund came back out with TJ who was crying uncontrollably. He wiggled around in Tormund’s arms to get free when he saw Brienne. “She’s tired TJ. Let me take care of you. I can hold you.”

TJ started to cry louder when Tormund wouldn’t let him down. “I want mommy! I want mommy!” he screamed.

Brienne and Tormund looked at each other in shock. TJ never called her mommy so they weren’t sure if he was confused.

“You want Bre?” he asked for clarification.

TJ shook his head in agreement and pointed at her. “Mommy.”

Tormund let him down and he went straight to Brienne. He halfheartedly smiled at Brienne. He wasn’t sure how she would react to TJ giving her a new official name.

She stood up and took him in her arms. Tormund told her that he was going to shower and he would come back out and help her. She nodded ok and waved him off. Tormund laid down on the bed and accidentally fell asleep.

Brienne didn’t know how long she held TJ in her arms. He had a steady whimper as he dozed in and out of sleep. Still sobbing on her shoulder, she cradled him close, swaying him gently as she hummed a sweet lullaby. "It's going to be ok sweetheart. I'll take care of you. I love you sweet baby."

Brienne awoke to the sunlight peering through the windows. She was sleeping comfortably on the couch, covered by a blanket. She became startled that TJ wasn't with her. She frantically looked around the room and scurried off the couch to the bedroom. Tormund was sprawled out on his back on the bed and TJ was laying on his bare chest, his limp body moving up and down to his father's breathing, red hair entangled with his father's matching beard. She felt relieved but didn’t want to disrupt them so she went back to the couch to get a little more sleep.

 

By the last day of the trip, TJ was back to his normal self. They got him a cake and celebrated his 2nd birthday. Tormund was sad knowing that once they got back home, Brienne would be leaving again for three weeks. They had spent the last few weeks with each other almost every day and it was going to be hard to function without her as a co-parent and a lover. They decided that when they got back home, they wouldn’t hide their relationship anymore. They were together, a loving united front and wanted to be able to show that they were a family now.


	10. Dont wanna be alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. Life got in the way. This is the final chapter before we get into what happened in chapter one. Lots going on in this chapter with clues as to what may happen next. Hope you like it. Feedback is a gift. Thanks for all that have kept reading and given kudos. I'm hoping not to have you wait too long for the next chapter.

There was a quick turnaround from the Bahamas to Westeros, a day in fact. Brienne was exhausted, but she tried to get everything situated before she left. She could see that Tormund was worried about spending so much time alone with TJ. It was obvious that Brienne had become the favorite parent and TJ clung to her like a newborn at a mother’s breast.

Tormund paced the kitchen nervously as she prepped food for them. “I don’t know if I can do this without you. Three weeks is a long time. I’ve never spent that much time alone with him…ever…”

She gave him a reassuring smile. “You will be fine. He’s just a two-year-old with endless energy.” She knew he was going to go crazy but they needed the time together. Hilda had been the main person in TJ’s life for so long that Tormund stepped back and let her rear him. He had a lot of bad habits because of it.

The night before she left, she sat with TJ and told him she would be gone for a while and that she would call and video chat when she could. She told him to be a good boy in school and for his dad. She gave him a calendar and circled the date she would be back. She told him to mark off the days and soon enough she would be back.

“Please don’t go mommy.” His plead brought tears to her eyes but she explained that she needed to take care of her father because he was sick.

“Daddy will take good care of you.” She placed him to sit between her and Tormund. “Family kisses?”

TJ smiled and shook his head. He kissed Brienne, then Tormund and then they kissed each other…

 

As the night turned pitch black, Brienne packed, showered, and rested her head on Tormund’s bare chest as he held her tight. She reminded him of all the things he had to do for himself and TJ in the coming weeks.

He promised to be more hands on with TJ and be patient with him. He reminded her that he loved her, would miss her and to call every day when she got the chance. He let her know how lonely he would be without her and that she made him feel whole when they were together.

She told him that she loved him too and that he was the best thing in her life right now. She was afraid for her father and the surgery he was going to have. She couldn’t cope with anything going wrong.

“Everything will be fine.” He reassured her.

They laid in silence for a while and as she started to drift off, Tormund rolled on top her, placing kisses all over her. “No sleep yet. I need to feel you before you go.” He made his presence known as he slid inside her, making love to her as she moaned his name into the night…

Her alarm went off as the sun rose and she eased out of his grasp and prepared herself to leave. She eased into TJ’s room and kissed him goodbye. She woke Tormund and he sat up sleepily, asking if she was sure she didn’t want him to take her to the airport. She declined once again saying that it would only upset TJ more. She gave him one more kiss as she headed outside for the awaiting Uber…

Tormund and TJ functioned well the first week following the instructions Brienne left but TJ asked every day when she was coming home. Tormund showed him the calendar that said they had a lot more days without her but that she would call them when she could. TJ was content with that but was getting more and more impatient every day.

Brienne didn’t call as much the first week because her father went into surgery and she spent most of the time at the hospital in ICU where the reception was bad. She did video chat with TJ once which made him content with the fact that she was not there.

All hell broke loose in the Giantsbane household by the middle of the second week. They ran out of prepped food and Tormund the chef was not cutting it for TJ. He wouldn’t sleep at night making them both tired and cranky in the morning. Tormund couldn’t function during practice and hurt his shoulder again because he lost focus and didn’t see a hit coming. His coach sent him home for the rest of the week because he was losing patience with his best player. TJ was an absolute menace in school and was sent home for the rest of the week for biting another student.

Tormund tried to seek help from Sansa but she was busy with the team and helping everyone get physically ready for their end of season run. Hilda was still upset with Tormund and refused to help him with TJ as well. Pod had interviews lined up for the week so he couldn’t help either. Tormund decided that he couldn’t take it anymore so he did the only thing he thought was best. He booked two tickets to Westeros…

 

The trip was long and draining especially with a two-year-old, but Tormund missed Brienne badly. He knew that she would be busy with her father but hopefully she would be happy to see him. They could be of service to one another he thought. He could be her support system and she could help with their son’s behavior. TJ was excited about his new surroundings and had a ton of energy.

Tormund arrived on the island mesmerized asking directions to Evenfall Hall. He was met by plain clothes security that advised that he needed to be escorted because he was coming uninvited. Normally he would argue but he was fascinated that his girlfriend did not tell him that her father had a beautiful island named after him.

As they arrived at the entrance of Evenfall Hall, the guards asked him who he was here to see. He told them he was there for Brienne and they said they would find her and bring her to him.

It seemed liked it took forever for her to come. As TJ was having a blast kicking sand everywhere, he saw her from afar, short shorts and a tanktop, hips swaying as the sun beamed down on her long frame. As she came closer his heart beat faster, the excitement building. He had never felt this way about anyone before. He was madly in love. TJ saw her and took off in her direction leaving the trailing guard in his dust. She knelt as he got closer and scooped him in her arms. He smothered her with kisses as she continued towards Tormund. She was surprised and ecstatic to see him. She gestured to the guards that he was ok and they left.

She put TJ down and hugged Tormund tightly as their lips met. “What are you doing here?”

“I missed you too much to stay away my love. Plus, TJ and I were going to kill each other if we were alone together any longer.”

“I missed you guys too. C’mon inside.” She took him by the hand…

 

Brienne, Tormund, TJ and Roelle sat at a small table in the corner of the kitchen eating dinner. Roelle was a woman in her late forties with strands of gray in her dark hair with eyes to match. She watched Tormund pile chicken and potatoes in his mouth at a rapid pace. He shook his head in complete delight as he chewed and swallowed chunks of food. It almost embarrassed Brienne how hungry he looked.

Tormund spoke with his mouth completely full. “This is so good Roelle. Slightly better than Brienne’s. She’s a really good cook too.”

“Oh?” She questioned trying to gauge the status of their relationship. She wasn’t fond of the red headed man in front of her. He came uninvited with a child to see the girl she raised from birth. The last time she spoke with Brienne, she was engaged to Jaime Lannister.

“She cooked before she left but we ate all of it.”

Roelle frowned. “You two live together?”

“Ye…”

“We don’t.” Brienne interrupted. “We just started dating and I come over to cook sometimes.”

“Hmm…” Tormund looked at Roelle and then Brienne. He wasn’t sure if he was missing something but played along.

Roelle looked to TJ who was picking at his food beside her. “The boy. Where is his mother?”

“Dead.” Tormund answered. “Brienne has been very good with him.” He smiled at Brienne and she smiled back.

“Well let me know when you are done eating so that I can show you to your room.” Roelle rubbed TJ’s head and left the table.

“I don’t think she likes me.” He took a gulp of his drink.  “And why can’t you take me to your room?”

“Because we are not sleeping in the same room.” She slid over to TJ’s side of the table and squished his potatoes for him.

“You mean to tell me that we can’t sleep in the same bed? That’s going to be a problem…”

 

Roelle gave Tormund a quick tour of the grounds and TJ stayed with the children that were playing in the courtyard. She advised some of the workers to watch him and bring him up when the other children left. TJ happily obliged and Roelle walked Tormund to his room.

“These are your quarters Mr. Giantsbane.” She gave him a stern look from top to bottom. “Is there anything else you need?”

“Brienne in my bed tonight. I think this arrangement is ridiculous. We’ve done all kinds of naughty things to each other already.” He winked and gave Roelle a devilish grin.

Roelle narrowed her eyes and gave him a disapproving look as she did not like his joke. “We conduct ourselves a certain way here. Her father would not approve of that comment and neither do I.”

Tormund held his hands up in defense. “Sorry.”

Roelle left the room and closed the door as Tormund surveyed the room. He was mesmerized by the house. It was modern inside with a medieval look outside. The outside view showed the surrounding sapphire waters, the most beautiful he had ever seen.

The door opened and closed again bringing Tormund’s attention to it. Brienne stood behind it, smiling ear to ear. Tormund bit his lip and summoned her to him, pulling her tight to him by the beltloops of her shorts. They hungrily explored each other’s mouths, desire taking over them. He guided her towards the bed, laying her down gently, setting his body on top of hers, planting kisses down her exposed neck and chest. She gave a desirable moan that made him hard in his pants. He pushed his erection up against her midsection and slid his hand up her shirt, cupping her breast.

There was a hard knock on the door that startled Brienne and she managed to shove Tormund off just as the door opened. Roelle had TJ in hand as she looked at Brienne with contempt.

“Are you ready to go to the hospital to see your father? He’s asking for you.”

“Yes, Roelle. I’ll be right out.”

“Your father wouldn’t approve of this behavior. I’m very disappointed in you.” She shot Tormund a cold glare, led TJ into the room and closed the door behind her.

Brienne rolled her eyes and looked over to Tormund who was trying to adjust himself. “I have to go. Try not to get into too much trouble. I’ll see you later tonight.”

 

It was well past midnight and a drowsy Tormund watched TV to pass the time. TJ was passed out by his side as he waited for Brienne to come back. He sat up slightly as the door opened.

Brienne peaked in and whispered. “Come with me.”

The kitchen was entirely dark except for the kitchen island where the light above shone on the cheesecake and wine set out by Brienne.

“You want to have a late-night snack?” she asked pushing a plate to him.

He took the wine instead and filled his glass. “I was thinking a different type of snack, but this can temporarily hold me over.”

Tormund admired Brienne as she devoured the strawberry cheesecake, making subtle erotic noises that intrigued him.

“This is so good. Roelle makes the best cheesecake. Here, taste it.” She put a piece in his mouth. “Well?”

“It’s really good. Did she make this from scratch?”

“Yes.” She drank some of her wine as Tormund face turned a bit serious.

“She doesn’t like me. Why doesn’t she like me?”

Brienne extended her hand to him. “She doesn’t like anyone, she barely likes me I think. They do things differently here which is one of the reasons I wanted to get away. She’s very old fashioned. Courting, marriage, sex, children. In that order and only that order.”

“You mean to tell me she thinks you’re still a virgin?” Tormund couldn’t hold back his laughter.

“I don’t think she thinks that but when I’m in this house she would like for me to behave as such.” She sighed. “I never told them about the miscarriages and my breakup. I didn’t want to disappoint my father.”

Tormund didn’t want to sour the mood so he lightened the conversation. “Well that’s in the past and you have moved on.” He picked up a cream covered strawberry off her plate and put it in her mouth. He watched her eat it and smiled at her before wiping the remaining cream from his fingers on her mouth. He licked her bottom lip and followed it up with a kiss. They giggled and moaned as he separated his lips from hers. “I need to have you tonight. Look at what you did to me.” Their eyes traveled to his massive erection. He snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her close. She laughed and shook her head in disagreement as he shook his head the opposite way. “No one is awake. We can get a quickie in. Don’t leave me like this.”

She looked around and led him to a bench in a corner of the dark kitchen. She slipped her hand in his shorts, stroking his hard manhood. “You have to be quiet. Roelle has ears like an owl.”

He nodded and pulled his shorts down exposing himself as she shoved him down on the bench. The chill of the wall on his back didn’t deter the heat from his body. They engaged in passionate kissing as he pulled her close to his chest. As she mounted him, he pulled her robe and nightgown up around her waist so that he could feel the warm flesh of her skin.

“I need to tell you something.”

“Later, you can tell me later.” He covered her lips with his again before she could interject. He wanted her badly and his mouth and hands illustrated that. He broke the kiss and let out a deep groan of pleasure as she slid down on him. She covered his mouth with her hand pleading for him to be quiet. He closed his eyes and rested his head back against the wall as she rode him hard and fast. They were only about a minute in when he grabbed her waist with force and trembled beneath her. She looked at him, his face red with embarrassment.

“Did you just?”

“I’m sorry.” He panted, not wanting to look in her eyes.

She found his eyes and gave him a reassuring smile. “It’s ok. I gave you what you wanted. You can make it up to me another time.” She chuckled, kissed his forehead and went back into the kitchen to clean up their mess as he sat on the bench trying to regain his composure. How could she do that to him? Leave him there in complete bliss and walk away like it was a normal routine. He knew he came up short pleasing her tonight and would have to make it up to her, but it was going to be hard to sleep in separate rooms for the duration of the trip…

 

For the remainder of the week, Tormund abided by the house rules and spent family time with Brienne before turning in for the night in his own room. When she was at the hospital, he explored the island with TJ and chatted with the locals. He felt slightly awkward as he did not see any other red heads on the island besides him and TJ. The women on the island gawked at him as they normally did but he thought it was more about the red hair than anything else. TJ’s attitude towards Tormund changed drastically and he was more loving to his father. The fact that they could bond all day and he could see Brienne every night helped in a major way. Tormund ignored the calls from his coach and decided not to tell Brienne that he was supposed to report back to the team next week but went AWOL to come see her.

Tormund also tried to gain favor with Roelle and she was slowly coming around because he was following the house rules. If she knew what happened in the kitchen she may think differently. He kept that in mind and laughed internally every time she praised him for being a respectable guest. They talked about his life, his past relationships, his son and his intentions with Brienne. She was happy to hear that he was financially stable, a good father and madly in love with her. He impressed her so much that she told him she would make his favorite dish for dinner. The next person he wanted to impress was Brienne’s father and although Roelle told him that would be hard, he made it his next mission…

 

Tormund went to the hospital to meet Brienne and hoped to get a chance to meet her father. He wanted him to know that he was the new man in her life and that he wanted to marry his daughter. He made his way up to the room, flowers in hand and stood by the door. He heard a very disgruntled voice and although he could not make out everything that was being said, he heard her father scolding her for multiple things. His biggest quarrel was her still being unwed with no children. He asked her if legacy was important and if something happened to him what would happen to their family. Whenever she tried to answer, he cut her off and shared his displeasure. He couldn’t make out the last thing that was said but Brienne stormed out of the room, wiping tears from her eyes. She didn’t even see Tormund as she turned the corner in the opposite direction in a haste. He waited a few minutes before knocking and entering the room. His presence gained the attention of the old man lying in bed.

“Hi. I’m Tormund. I’d like to speak with you about Brienne…”

 

Brienne waited patiently for Tormund to come back. He pulled her out to the sandy coast for a stroll. She told him about her day but didn’t tell him about the conversation that occurred between her and her dad. He sensed the sadness in her voice and quieted her with a soft kiss on her lips. He interlocked her hands in his and got down on one knee. Nervousness built up in his chest.

“I couldn’t last a week and a half without you and it made me realize that I need you to be with me forever. Marry me Brienne. Marry me here tomorrow. I don’t want to wait any longer. Please be my wife.”

Although she was still sad and frustrated from earlier, she smiled and took a relaxing breath. She couldn’t believe he was asking her this now but she loved him and couldn’t say no, even if he did tell her she could use her own timetable in the Bahamas. “Yes. I will marry you…tomorrow.” She pulled him up and he hugged her so tight she had to gasp for air. “I don’t know what I’m going to wear and where we will get married but…”

“Don’t worry about all of that. Roelle has taken care of it all.” He gave her a sly grin and they walked hand in hand back to Evenfall Hall…

 

They exchanged vows the next day at the same spot where he asked her to marry him. Brienne wore a long, simple white strapless dress with a single white flower in her hair. Tormund wore a loose white linen long sleeve shirt and matching pants. As the ordained minister stood in front of them, Roelle held the hand of a rambunctious TJ who also wore all white to match his parents. After saying their vows, TJ handed them the rings that he had put in his mouth and pants. As they were pronounced husband and wife, TJ managed to wiggle out of Roelle’s grasp as she happily watched the newlyweds kiss.

“Are you happy?”

“The happiest I’ve been my entire life. I love you Tormund.”

“I love you too…wife.”

Roelle hugged them both and told them she would take care of TJ until morning. Tormund smiled at her for that as he had plans to keep his new wife occupied for the whole night. Before going back to Evenfall Hall, they went to the hospital to give Selwyn the good news. He was ecstatic and shook the hand of his new son in law telling him to keep his daughter happy.

Before going back home, the newlyweds had a romantic dinner in town and strolled the beach as the sun set. She showed him the places she used to hide when she was a child and told him stories of her youth on the beautiful island. When they got back to her room, they made love all night until the early morning hours.

 

In their last week on the island, they helped Selwyn check out of the hospital and get comfortable at home. They introduced him to TJ and he was delighted at the small red head, complimenting his smile and magnetic energy. He asked when he would be expecting more heirs, but the newlyweds were hesitant to respond.

Tormund looked at Brienne and then answered. “I think we have our hands full with TJ at the moment. We’re going to wait a while before adding any more children to the family. Right Brienne?”

Brienne was surprised to hear Tormund’s response. Less than two weeks ago, he told her it was up to her. She felt nervousness build up in her stomach. “Right.”

 

The week flew by faster than expected and Brienne felt sadder than she thought she would when she boarded the plane. Tormund was still in marital bliss and couldn’t wait to tell everyone he was now spoken for while Brienne tensed up at the thought. In Westeros she felt free and happy but in LA she felt stressed and uncomfortable.

“Maybe we shouldn’t say anything so soon. We can tell our closest friends but keep it under wraps for a while? With you being a star athlete and all, the media will be all over this and I don’t want to be subject to all the publicity. What do you think?”

Tormund was not happy with her suggestion but he agreed to it. It wasn’t a bad idea but he just didn’t like it. It also wouldn’t look good if his coach found out he went AWOL for a week to get married. He would surely get suspended.

“I’m fine with it but at some point we need to act like a married couple. I’m tired of hiding. I’m tired of secrets.”

 _Secrets._ That bothered Brienne but she was hiding her own. She hadn’t gotten the chance to tell Tormund that she stopped taking her birth control when she got to Westeros. She thought that the choice was up to her but after his comment about waiting, she prayed that she wasn’t pregnant. As soon as she landed, she would take a pregnancy test and make an appointment to see her doctor for more pills.

 

Tormund ended up getting suspended for an additional week for not showing up to practice. He decided to tell Brienne that the trainers said his shoulder was still not good enough to play so that she wouldn’t get upset with him. Brienne was relieved when the pregnancy test came back negative but her doctor said she still wanted to see her before she started a new pack. She told Tormund that her current birth control was making her sick and that they needed to use protection until she could get it changed. She felt bad about lying but at least she was trying to fix her mistake.

For the next month, they were both so occupied they barely spent any time together. When she got home, Tormund was already passed out and she soon followed. She was also up and out before he awoke in the mornings. Every day, they spent her lunch break video chatting to see how their days were going. Tormund was out on the road during pool play and she missed him terribly. They asked Pod to help out with TJ on the days Brienne had to work late when Tormund was on the road. He was happy to give them a hand.

Brienne was piled in work when a call from an unknown number came in. She ignored the call and continued to work. A moment later, she received a text from the same number. She opened the message.

_It’s me, Jaime. I need to see you…_


	11. Jaime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter loaded and ready to go. Thanks to everyone still reading and giving kudos. Feedback is always a gift. Hope you enjoy.

It took Brienne a few weeks to agree to meet Jaime at a small café during her work hours. She was slightly nervous to know what he wanted. It was the first time she would see him since their somewhat clean “break”. Her life had changed drastically and for the better. She hoped that seeing him would not bring up any old feelings she had for him. He was the center of her life for 10 years and those feelings just don’t go away overnight. Not seeing or hearing from him helped her drastically and falling in love with a hot ginger almost erased him completely.

She swallowed hard when she saw him. He was as beautiful as ever, commanding the attention of the hostess. She pointed him in Brienne’s direction and he smiled. He looked like a model with his acid blue fitted jeans, slim white t-shirt, and thin black leather jacket with matching sneakers.

He eased into the seat across from her smiling from ear to ear. “Hi Brienne.” His voice was low and rugged like it always was.

She tried not to stare into his hypnotic eyes. “Jaime.”

He took her right hand and kissed it. This triggered her to place her left hand underneath the table hiding her engagement ring and wedding band. There was a long silence between the two as he gave her a glance over. She tried to make as little eye contact as possible to make sure she wasn’t sucked into his aura.

“You look great Brienne. You look happy. A little tired but happy. How are you?”

“I’m doing well Jaime. I’m happy. Very happy.”

There was another long silence. She could feel his eyes on her but she wouldn’t look directly into his. A waitress came over and he ordered a drink while Brienne said she was fine with water.

“You said you needed to see me. What’s going on?” She wanted to get this over with. When he didn’t respond she became more direct. “Jaime. What do you need?”

“Cersei has completely cut me off and I have no money. I’m crashing at a friend’s house as well. That boyfriend of hers has completely turned her against me. I need help.”

“What kind of help Jaime? Do you need money?”

“I need money and a plan. A way to make money. You know me better than anyone.”

“What else can you do Jaime? You’ve only worked for your father’s company your whole adult life.”

The waitress brought his drink to him and he took a sip. He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I only know real estate and Cersei is using our name for that business.”

She finally looked into his eyes as she searched for an idea. “You can sell that beautiful face of yours. You did some modeling in college remember?”

He looked right back into her eyes and gave her that half smile that always drove her crazy. “So you still think I’m beautiful?”

She smiled back. “You were and will always be beautiful Jaime. There is no denying that.” They both chuckled.

There was another long awkward silence as Jaime searched for the courage to say what he really wanted to. “Do you miss me?”

“Jaime…”

“I miss you. I think about you all the time. Do you remember the last time I saw you?”

She remembered the last time they were together and tried to put it out of her mind. She knew that Jaime was never one to let her forget anything he thought meaningful or persuasive.

“The last time I saw you, you were enjoying my head between your legs.” She didn’t respond so he continued. “I’ve changed Brienne. I’ve grown up. Things can be different.”

She nodded her head in disagreement. “Jaime. We can’t go there.”

“Why not? Is there someone else?”

His eyes widened when she put her hand on the table. He pulled her hand in his and ran his thumb over her rings. She could see him trying to hide his disappointment. “Married? Wow… I didn’t know there was someone else. Does he make you happy? Do you love him? Really love him?”

“I do. I really love him and he makes me so happy Jaime.”

He held her hand tighter. “I’m happy for you. You deserve someone that loves you and cherishes you.” He was crushed. “So you’ll help me?”

She squeezed his hand back. “Sure, I’ll help you.”

He got up from the table and pulled her into a hug and they took in each other’s scent. Brienne started to feel all sorts of uncomfortable as his energy was sucking her in. “Man…you were the one that got away. I should have never let you go. Lucky fellow. Congrats Brienne.”

She pulled away from him as he reluctantly let her go. “I’ll brainstorm some ideas and get back to you. Bye Jaime.” She didn’t even wait for him to respond before she exited.

 

While Tormund was away for pool play, Brienne drowned herself in work to get caught up and acquired new contracts for her company. She ended up getting four major photography contracts and her boss was elated. Pod helped out with TJ and they formed their own bond. When he played video games for his podcast, he gave TJ a controller to keep him from driving him nuts. TJ thought he was actually playing and he behaved himself while Pod recorded. Pod featured TJ in one of his videos and got one million viewers with people requesting to see more of the cute ginger. He renamed the show _Gaming with Pod and the Little Ginger._

Tormund tried to focus on playing but he missed his family. He felt distant from his wife since they returned from Westeros and started to question their lifestyles. They were spending less time together and still essentially living in different households. He hated having to hide their marriage and wanted to just be a normal couple like everyone else.

Brienne utilized Tormund’s absence to help Jaime. They were spending a few hours together at night brainstorming ideas. Brienne was doing most of the thinking while Jaime was taking the time to admire her. He kept asking her all types of questions about her new husband and she ignored him and kept their conversation professional.

“I was thinking that maybe you could stay in your field and branch off and do something on your own using your name.”

Jaime was intrigued. “What are you thinking?”

“Maybe you could start your own branch of real estate within the Lannister company. Cersei only markets and sells in Silicon Valley and high-end areas. Why don’t you try a different approach and market to the middle class? Markets where people may need down payment assistance or single parent families? You can also fix and flip houses or rent them out to people that may not qualify for a traditional mortgage.”

“It’s a great idea, I love it, but Cersei is already using the Lannister Realty name so that won’t work.”

“You can modify your company’s name. Something like…” She looked up searching her brain for the answer. “Lannister X Realty. I can make you some template cards that you can modify to your liking. Maybe you can advertise on some billboards around the city. I can try to get you a photoshoot with my company.”

He rested his hand underneath his chin taking in the idea. “I like it. You’re a genius. Thank you.”

“Good. This is expensive though Jaime. We are talking about forty grand here.”

They brainstormed for another hour over dinner. They were enjoyed each other’s company like the old days when they were together. She told him she would lend him the money but he would have to sign legal documents and give her a percentage. He told her he would love to be tied up with her any way he could. Everything was going well until Jaime pried again about her relationship.

“I still can’t believe you’re married. Is he good to you?”

“Yes. He’s a great guy.”

“How does he feel about us working together?”

Brienne sighed. “He doesn’t know that I’m working with my ex. That’s why I’m making you a client.”

Jaime smirked at her. He knew there would be trouble in paradise if he came back to the scene. “So you’re lying to him? You know that you’re a terrible liar right?” She was the most honest person he knew, even if she took the brunt of the trouble. It was one of her best qualities.

“I’m not lying. I told him I’m working with a potential client. That’s what you are right?”

“Yep, a potential client that you had a ten-year relationship with.”

 

 

Nick entered the room as Tormund headed out the bathroom from a shower. On the road they were roommates and had become really good friends. Nick noticed Tormund wasn’t his normal happy go lucky self. He had a lot on his mind and no one to talk to. His so called best friend Jon only sent him emails updates for the company and never texted him just to chat. That hurt Tormund.

Nick plopped on the available bed. “What’s up with you man? You’re not really all here.”

“I’m alright I guess. I just miss my family. I’m ready to go home.”

“You need to get your cock wet? Tammy is here you know.”

Tormund rolled his eyes at the thought. He tried to avoid her at all costs but they were in each other’s presence at least once a day. She always offered him services, but he declined and reminded her that he was seeing someone else. It was like she didn’t understand and thought the answer would change the more she asked. “I don’t want Tammy. Besides I can’t do that anymore. I miss Brienne.”

“Hmm… we haven’t talked about her in a while. She must have given you some. Did she tame the wild ginger?”

They both laughed.

“I can call Tammy bro. If you don’t want to fuck her, I’m sure there are other things she would do for you. She would do anything for you.”

“I can’t.” Tormund reiterated.

“Really, all because of the tall hot blonde?”

Tormund considered Nick a good friend and would find out about his loyalty because he was going to tell him the truth. “You can’t tell anyone but when I was missing that week, I married her.”

“Shit! You married Brienne?” Nick let it sink in for a moment. “Wow! Congrats bro.” He high-fived him like he just made a good play on the field. “I was hoping that you messed that up. I was going to try to move in on her. Those eyes and those legs.”

Tormund glared at him. “That’s my wife you’re talking about now.”

“I know man and I can see you’re madly in love.”

 

 

When Tormund got back from the road trip, he went to Brienne’s apartment and wanted to surprise her by moving all her office equipment to his house. He chatted with Pod and he shared his excitement about their marriage and Brienne moving out. Not only did he and Sansa want Brienne’s master bedroom, they also wanted her office so Pod could set up his webcast in there. Sansa was sick of him hogging up the tv in the living room all day.

As the room started to empty out, he looked over some of her work that was scattered on the desk. He smiled at some of the pictures and templates that she made. She was really talented and he could see why she was a marketing director for one of the biggest agencies in LA. He came across a file labeled _Jaime Lannister_. He opened the file and looked at the pictures and proposed billboards. He couldn’t help but feel a little jealous that his wife was working with someone this handsome. Was this the client she was spending the most time with? He remembered the name coming up most recently as one of her newest clients that she had to spend a lot of time with. Now he wasn’t sure he was comfortable with that.

He left the file alone and took some other boxes to his truck. He checked the closet for a final sweep and he saw one remaining box in the corner of the top shelf. He took it down and opened it. He saw some awards, medals, a few college t-shirts, birthday cards and a picture that made his eyes widen. The picture was of Brienne sitting between Jaime’s legs under a tree with his arms wrapped around her waist. They both wore college sweaters, smiling ear to ear. They were clearly in love. Anyone who saw the picture would know it and now Tormund did too.

Tormund went out to the living room to question Pod. He handed him the picture. “Who’s this?”

Pod casually looked at the picture. “That’s Jaime Lannister, Brienne’s college sweetheart. They were together for like ten years or something. They broke up almost a year ago.” Pod looked at Tormund’s stoic expression. He realized that Brienne didn’t tell Tormund and that he gave more information that he should have. He put his headset back on went back to playing video games before Tormund asked more questions.

Tormund put the picture in his pocket to question Brienne later. Why didn’t she mention that her client was her ex-boyfriend? Had they rekindled an old flame? Was she still in love with him? Were they fucking? Something was going on and he would get to the bottom of it, one way or another.

 

For the next few days, Tormund couldn’t concentrate on anything but his wife spending time with another man. She continued to meet with him and Tormund grew agitated by the day. She slept at her apartment most of the week, while he slept at the house, alone, with a rambunctious two-year old.

His frustration was growing and it was showing at practice. After screwing up on the field and getting into a fight with a teammate, his coach told him to go home. He cursed his coach out and ended up getting suspended for another week. When he called Brienne to tell her what happened, she said she would call him back because she was with a client. He knew who it was, and it took him over the edge. He called the office to find out where she was and confront them both.

Tormund drove to the café where her assistant said she would be. As he parked across the street, he saw them through the window, laughing, chatting, having lunch together. He called her and watched her answer his call. She told him she was busy and that she would call him back as soon as she was done. He didn’t like her answer so he stormed into the café to confront her.

Brienne and Jaime were going over documents when Tormund took a chair from a nearby table and sat in front of them. His teeth were clenched and she saw the anger oozing from his eyes. Jaime was clueless as to what was going on and looked at the ginger confused.

“Hey, do you need something buddy?” He questioned.

He glared over at Jaime and then turned to Brienne. “I’m here to see her.” He pointed in her direction. “My wife.”


	12. Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This may be the last chapter posted for a while. I will try my best to get them out as soon as I can. As always, thanks for reading and feedback is always a gift. Don't hate me for this chapter.

Brienne wasn’t sure how to react to Tormund’s presence. He was clearly mad and she hoped he didn’t make a scene in the crowded café. Jaime sat calmly, taking a good look at the man that married the woman that he loved. He looked familiar but he couldn’t pinpoint from where. He was going to play it cool and see what was going to happen.

Brienne could sense her husband’s annoyance as he looked at her with purpose. “Tormund, this is Jaime, Jaime this is Tormund, my husband.

He extended his hand to Tormund. “Hey, nice to meet you man.”

Tormund looked back to him, stared at his hand and then turned back to Brienne. He tried to read her face. There was slight shock, embarrassment, fear and shame.

Jaime pulled his hand back with a smirk on his face. He was enjoying the tension but felt his presence was no longer needed. He left some money on the table for his drink and Brienne’s untouched lunch. “Well, I’ll give you two some time alone to talk.” He tried to get up but Tormund put his large hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down.

“Keep your ass in that seat!” Tormund interjected. Jaime laughed sarcastically and slouched down in his seat with his arms folded. The ginger was obviously mad with him as well and fellow patrons were looking in their direction now. Tormund turned his attention to Brienne again with a long pause before he spoke again. “You been working a lot with this Jaime Lannister client...” He pulled the picture from his pocket. “And then I find this picture of you guys in college. He’s the ex isn’t he?”

She reached her hand out to his but he pulled back. She could see how mad he was and hoped he didn’t make a scene. “Tormund… I wanted to tell you but I didn’t know how. Can we please talk about this at home?”

He gave her a condescending laugh. “You’re coming home tonight? You haven’t been there in a while.” He looked at her plate. “Mmm..I haven’t had a home cooked meal in weeks either. Your lunch looks great. I say we all eat together while I clear a few things up.”

Tormund picked up a piece of Brienne’s sandwich and ate it. Jaime tried to take a pickle off her plate but Tormund slapped it out of his hand. Jaime smiled in amusement as his need to provoke Tormund was working. The husband was jealous and it was easy to get under his skin.  “Have you had her roast? Seven hells, it’s to die for. It was my favorite dish of hers.”

Tormund pointed at Jaime while smiling at Brienne. “The ex is not only pretty, but funny.”

Brienne was feeling all sorts of uncomfortable. Her past and present was sitting in front of her and she didn’t want things to get out of control. Jaime was her everything for ten years and Tormund was her now and hopefully forever.

He turned his attention and body towards Jaime. “Are you sleeping with my wife?”

Jaime rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through his golden locks. “Yes… I’m sleeping with your wife in broad daylight in a café while signing documents. Come to think of it, I know where I’ve seen you before. You’re that wild ginger that strips on that new rugby team.” He glanced over at Brienne. “Christ Brienne, you sure know how to pick them.” Jaime gathered up his belongings and left with no resistance from Tormund this time.

Tormund glared at him until he was out of sight. “So you’re spending time with your ex and lying to me.”

“I didn’t lie to you. I just didn’t tell you that my client is my ex. I didn’t want you to be upset.”

“So he’s the pretty boy that broke your heart. The one that left you in a hospital to give birth to your dead child alone. The one that cheated on you multiple times?”

“Tormund. Stop it!” She gathered up the remaining documents as he ranted.

“He wasted your time for ten years and he gets to spend more time with you than me these days.”

“Can we talk about this at home? Please?” Brienne got up and left the café.

 

Brienne was happy that they were both driving home in separate cars. Tormund needed to cool down and she needed to come up with a plan to smooth out the trouble she had gotten herself into. By the time they got home, TJ had fallen asleep in the car and Brienne put him down while Tormund showered.

He was ready to argue by the time she entered the bedroom. He was annoyed and frustrated about multiple things including his suspension and his wife lying. Brienne on the other hand wanted to shower and go to sleep. She didn’t want to rile him up again but she knew they were going to have a conversation that she didn’t want to have. She should have told him about Jaime but she didn’t have the courage. Getting caught however by her husband felt even worse.

Just as he was about to start, they saw TJ on the baby monitor wide awake and jumping on his bed. Tormund scratched his head in frustration and headed to his room. By the time he came back, Brienne had also showered and was getting ready for bed. Tormund got in the bed and propped himself on the pillows with his hands behind his head. Brienne got in the bed under the covers and mounted him. She felt some of the tension leave his body which was the reason she tried this approach.

“I’m sorry.” She started. “I should have told you. Nothing is going on between us except me helping him with advertising.” Tormund didn’t respond. He kept staring at the ceiling. “What else is bothering you my love?”

Tormund sighed and looked into her eyes. He hated looking into her sapphire eyes because they always calmed him even when he didn’t want them to. “I got suspended for a week today for fighting and arguing. It’s like I can’t concentrate or function these days.”

She rubbed his chest while he spoke and he couldn’t help but moan at her touch. It’s the thing he missed the most. She knew that he felt neglected, and they weren’t exactly the newlyweds they were in Westeros. Everything changed when they came back to LA and not for the better. Being with an athlete and having her own career made things complicated.

He placed his hands on top of hers. “We’re not sleeping in the same house, we’re not spending time together, we’re not claiming each other in public, we’re not fucking, and when we do, I’ve gotta wear a rubber. You promised you would make an appointment to see the doctor and you haven’t done it yet. Is there something you need to tell me?”

“What are you implying Tormund?”

“I need you to be honest with me, that’s the first thing.”

“We agreed that when I was busy at work, I would sleep at my apartment because I live 20 minutes from the office. It would take me at least an hour from here and I could still be late. I don’t want to be out and about and not have the privacy our relationship deserves. You said you were ok with that. As far as us not spending time together, I own that and I’m sorry, but you knew I would be busy after I took a month off from work. You know I have deadlines.”

Tormund rolled his eyes and shook his head in disagreement. He knew she was right and he didn’t like it. “When are you going to the doctor Brienne? You’ve been tired and pale since we got back from Westeros.”

“I’m just overworked, that’s it. I’ll call tomorrow and make an appointment. I promise.”

She leaned down and kissed him tenderly on the lips. He shivered a bit underneath her making them both chuckle. "You like that? I can kiss other things too." The idea was enticing but he didn't want to get riled up because having sex with a condom was out of the question. He would just wait, or at least try. "I’m mad at you. Don't do this to me." "Do what?" She trailed kisses from his collarbone, down his chest to above his belly button. "Isn't this what you want? To spend time together?" He moaned and did not answer. He could feel himself start to harden beneath her. She felt it too and slid down lower. She licked the light trail of red hair below his belly button all the way down to the top of his underwear waistband. He couldn't take the sensation and jumped up to a seated position. "Stop! Please!"

She giggled and laid down beside him. Most of his anger seemed to leave his body and he cuddled behind her pressing his chest to her back. He sighed and gave his final request. “I don’t want you to see him anymore. I don’t like him and I don’t trust him.”

Brienne could understand his assessment but thought it unfair not to see him while they were under contract together. She also didn’t want to fight anymore and wanted to keep her husband happy. “Ok, I won’t see him anymore.”

Hopefully she could keep that promise. He kissed her shoulder, relaxed his body next to hers and they fell asleep.

 

The morning came quickly and Brienne was still sound asleep when Tormund came back from dropping TJ to school. She hadn’t budged from the same position since he left. He knew she would freak out when she found out she overslept, but she obviously needed the rest. He brought her a small breakfast in bed, a fruit bowl, toast and orange juice. She had never been a big breakfast person.

“Wake up sleepy head.” He carried the tray in hand while she tussled herself awake.

She sat up in bed still groggy and gave him a faint smile. She searched for her phone but couldn’t find it. “Morning, thank you for the food. Have you seen my phone?”

He sat the tray over her legs and hopped in bed beside her. “I’ll give it to you after you eat.” He picked up a strawberry and fed it to her. “I’m going to Silicon Valley tomorrow for a business meeting. I’ll be staying for the rest of the week. I’ll see your buddy Jon there too.”

He chatted for a bit about how well the tech company was doing and that they had to change the corporate makeup. Despite Jon not being a good friend to him anymore, he was going to name him the CEO since he was there from the beginning and had done most of the hard work. He felt it was only right to reward him for his dedication.

Brienne had eaten most of her food when she casually removed the tray and hurried to the bathroom. Tormund stood in the doorway as Brienne hovered over the toilet bowl.

“I think you’re pregnant. You’re pale, tired and now puking.”

Brienne went over to the sink to brush her teeth. “I took a test already. I’m not pregnant.”

“Well that’s good news because I couldn’t handle another kid right now. TJ is an absolute monster right now. I didn’t know a little person like him could have so much energy.” He took her phone out of his pocket and saw a few texts from Jaime. That didn’t make him very happy but he held his frustration inside. “By the way, it’s almost noon and you have 20 missed calls.” He chuckled but she didn’t find it funny. “I set up the home office for you while you were sleeping. Have fun.”

 

Tormund enjoyed Brienne working from home and spending time alone with her before TJ came home. She coaxed him into screwing her before he left for the Valley and that’s exactly what he did. He took out his frustration on her and that soreness would be on her body for a few days. She made a doctor’s appointment to his delight and they had dinner as a family for the first time in weeks.

Everything was going well until Brienne’s phone rang on the table while she was putting TJ down for bed. Tormund saw who was calling and he answered.

“Do you know what time it is? Why are you calling my wife after business hours?”

_“Great. Now you’re answering her phone. A little insecure are we?”_

“Listen Lannister. Stop calling my wife’s phone. If you need something, call the office during business hours. I mean it.” Tormund hung up the phone as Brienne came back. He gave her the phone. “Jaime just called and I told him to reach you at the office during business hours.”

Brienne looked at her phone and didn’t question her husband’s decision to respond to her ex. She didn’t like it but they were doing so well and she didn’t want to ruin it.

He wasn’t too happy with her reaction. “Brienne, you did promise me last night that you wouldn’t see him anymore. Are you going to hold true to your word?”

She smiled and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. “Of course, I love you.”

 

After finding the picture, getting confirmation from Pod and getting into an argument with Brienne, Tormund still didn’t feel completely satisfied with the whole Jaime situation. He also didn’t like the look in Brienne’s eyes or her faint response to not being able to see Jaime anymore. She made a promise, but could she keep it? Was she lying to him? Was she cheating on him? Was that the real reason why they needed to use protection? Had she gotten something from the pretty pig that she didn’t want him to contract. Even though she made a doctor’s appointment she hadn’t been feeling well for weeks. He had a plan to find out the truth. He told her he would have to go to a business meeting in Silicon Valley for a week. He would indeed go to the meeting but come back the same day and spy on her whereabouts.

She held true to her schedule, answering when he called, video chatting when she was home. The heartbreak came when he followed her the rest of the week and found out she was still meeting Jaime, this time alone at an apartment building in the city. She was spending thirty minutes with him every time they met.

On the day he was supposed to be back, he dressed for the party he was to attend that night and followed her to Jaime’s place. He didn’t speak to her the entire day to cover his tracks. He was a bit bothered when she showed up with a duffle bag and garment bag. Jaime met her at the door, shirtless and smiling. He ushered her upstairs and rubbed the small of her back as she went up the stairs. Tormund waited patiently as thirty minutes came and gone. All sorts of unpleasant thoughts ran through his head. First, she lied and told him that she wouldn’t see him again and now she was at his place for almost an hour.

To his surprise and dismay, she came out of the building dressed differently while he was shirtless with ruffled hair. They were smiling and chatting. Jaime pulled her in for a hug and pressed his lips against hers. A van pulled up and blocked Tormund’s view. He looked forward in shock and anger, squeezing the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white…

A shocked Brienne pushed Jaime away when he kissed her. He immediately apologized, and she told him that they couldn’t meet anymore.

“I love my husband Jaime. I would never hurt him like that.”

“I’m sorry Brienne. I didn’t mean to…”

“If there are any further contracts to sign I’ll have them at the office and my assistant will help you.”

He apologized again and again as she got in her car and drove off. He shook his head in disappointment for his stupidity and went back upstairs…

The van pulled off and Tormund looked back across the street but they were gone. He tried to swallow the ball that had formed in his throat and the tears that were swelling in his eyes. He looked down at his phone and there was a text from Brienne.

_I can’t wait to see you tonight. I’ve missed you. I need to talk to you about some very important things after the party. I love you._

He didn’t respond to the text. He just rested his head back for a moment to gain his composure. He couldn’t go to the party tonight and face her with the anger that was running through his veins. He needed to calm down so he headed to The Zoo to drink away his sorrows…

 

When he got there, it was starting to get fairly busy. He went straight to the bar and asked for cranberry vodka. He downed the first and then two more. He had given up his private area because his wife asked him too. He always tried to make her happy and the thanks he got was her cheating on him. He asked for another drink and grabbed it off the bar before finding a couch in the corner to drown his sorrows.

As the music blared, the buzz of the alcohol was starting to affect him. He looked around the crowded club but felt empty and alone. He had fallen in love with the wrong woman and felt like a fool for it. Did he regret marrying her? Yes, because she broke his heart. How could she betray him? What would happen to TJ? Why did he allow for them to build a strong bound when he would have to break it?

Tormund’s eyes were glazed over. He had another two drinks and was now piss drunk, hurt, angry and vengeful. As his head sloped back on the couch and he was groveling in misery, a familiar face approached. It was her. It was always her. She was always around.

Tammy sat next to Tormund and put her hand on his thigh. “Hey sexy. Are you alright?”

He looked over to her, eyes barely open and nodded his head no.

“Do you want another drink?” Tormund didn’t respond but she returned with a one anyway. As he drank it, she rubbed her hand over his chest. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I have a broken heart.” He downed the rest of the drink.

“I’m so sorry baby. I would never hurt you.” She gently yanked on his tie. “Why don’t you come in the private room with me and my friend.” She gently bit on his earlobe and whispered in his ear. “I can make you feel better.”

Tormund tried to think through his clouded mind. All he could see was Jaime and Brienne kissing and the look on her face when she lied to him that she wouldn’t see Jaime again. He had been so patient with her and gave her everything she asked for. He got suspended because of her. He sacrificed so much only to be betrayed. Their relationship was a lie and their marriage was over. He wanted her to hurt like he was hurting.

She led him into the room and sat him on the plush couch. She handed him some pot and he foolishly smoked it. Her blonde friend sat next to Tormund and played in his hair. As he started to relax, eyes barely open from his high, she loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt while Tammy mounted his lap and unbuckled his belt…


	13. Regrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did he or didn't he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone who has read and given kudos to this fic. Unfortunately, I will not be able to make it as long as anticipated. Life has gotten in the way and I will not be able to update as frequently so I'm going to end it early. It will seem a bit rushed and I apologize for that. I also wanted to thank everyone that left a comment on the last chapter. You are the reason I still write this fic. I think most of your questions or concerns will be resolved in this chapter.

Tormund never showed up to Brienne’s company party. Instead, he took an Uber home because he was completely wasted. He ignored all of Brienne’s calls and laid on the couch confused and regretful. The night he had wasn’t the night he intended.

She slowly walked over to the couch where he was sitting in the dark, looking like a defeated mess. As she came closer his eyes tapered on hers. “Hey are you ok? You didn’t come to the party tonight.” She took a look at his eyes. “Are you high Tormund? What the hell is going on?”

He tugged at his hair in frustration. “Is there something you want to tell me? Or should I tell you?”

In that moment, she knew she had to come clean about everything because he knew something. She had planned to, but wanted to be the one to tell him instead of him finding out. “I made a terrible mistake when you were gone and I’m begging you to forgive me.”

He wanted her to admit what she did. He wanted her to say it so that he could feel justified in his actions. “I’m listening.”

She took a deep breath. “I saw Jaime when you were out of town. I met with him at his apartment after you asked me not to see him. I’m so sorry Tormund.”

“You slept with him didn’t you?”

She had a confused look on her face. “No…what? I would never do that to you. Sweetheart, I love you.”

It took a while for her words to sink in. He keeled over and went white as his breathing became labored. He wanted the floor to swallow him whole. What he thought he saw wasn’t correct at all and he made a stupid mistake to justify it. He felt sick and he didn’t know what to do.

“I’m so sorry I lied to you. You were right about not trusting him. He kissed me today and I told him I’m done with him.”

Tormund sat with his head in his hands. His body was frozen. What could he say to justify the stupid mistake he made? Should he tell her? She was his wife and this was a backbreaking hurt to put her through. “I’m upset that you lied to me but I forgive you.” It was that simple to him. He just needed space and time to think.

She was relieved but concerned. “Where were you tonight?”

“I was out being stupid Brienne. I’m sorry I missed the party.” He stood up wobbly and dizzy. His phone kept vibrating in his pocket but he ignored it.

“There’s more. When I went to Westeros for my father, I stopped taking my birth control, thinking that we could try to start a family when I got back. I tried to tell you that night in the kitchen but we got a bit carried away, and then we got married so I thought we would be ok. Then you started to say that you didn’t want to have any more kids so I lied about the pills making me sick to buy me some more time to get a new batch from my doctor. I was only sick because of work stress like I told you.”

“I forgive you.” Tormund shook his head as his phone kept vibrating. “Hold on a sec.” He received a text from Tammy with video.

_Do you think your girlfriend would like to see this? Her name is Brienne right?_

His eyes widened as he watched what was on the video. She recorded them. He tried to keep his composure and smiled at Brienne. “Everything is ok Brienne. Can we just finish up tomorrow? I’m really messed up right now.”

“Ok, I’m going to spend the night at the apartment with TJ. See you tomorrow?” She headed to the door.

“Yeah… see you tomorrow. Brienne… I love you.”

 

It wasn’t until the next day that Tormund found out Tammy sent Brienne the video. She was more hurt than anything and cried less than expected. Tormund told her that he did fool around with both girls but he never had sex with them. The things on the video were bad enough but he was thankful he didn’t go further and make his situation worse. She blamed herself for not being a better wife and regretted letting Jaime back into her life. He also took the time to unburden himself and tell her that he had been spying on her when he said he was away for work. Brienne wasn’t happy about his spying and she wondered if they made a mistake getting married.

Tempers flared on both sides and hurtful things were said. When he begged for forgiveness, she told him no and asked for space to figure out their future. He unwillingly agreed to give her all the time she needed but worried about their living arrangement and TJ. She told him that she would distance herself from both of them just in case they decided that their future wasn’t together. The only person she truly felt sorry for was TJ because he was caught in the middle. When she kissed him goodbye, it felt like it was for good and she was really broken up about that.

Things got even worse for Tormund. Tammy sent the video to some of her friends and it ended up in the coach’s hands. He suspended Tormund and Tammy indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team, making Tormund ineligible to play in the championship game. Although not allowed, fraternizing wasn’t the biggest issue. The suspension was due to the drug policy he violated. Before he left the arena, he apologized to his teammates and wished them luck in the big game. The only person that seemed to care was Nick as his other teammates were upset at him for his stupid choices.

Brienne started losing her edge at work and the space around her felt closed in. She needed to clear her head so she booked a one way ticket to Westeros. Her boss was upset but she was too valuable to let go. He approved her leave. Tormund was disappointed that she picked up and left him and TJ but he understood why and let her have the space she asked for. He hoped it would help heal her heart and she would forgive him.

When she arrived, Roelle could see trouble in her eyes and Brienne poured her heart out to her. She gave Brienne her discretion from Selwyn and some tough love. She told Brienne her actions with Jaime played a part in Tormund’s mild infidelities and she could either forgive him or divorce him. If she needed time to lick her wounds, that was understandable but she needed to decide whether or not she wanted to build a life with him or move on. She also said that TJ would be the person that would hurt the most because he loved Brienne and she was the only mother he has ever truly known. Surprisingly, Roelle admitted that she loved him too. She also gave her opinion on what Brienne should do, telling her that if he was truly sorry, she should forgive him and they should continue to build their lives together.

Tormund had a hard time with TJ but worked on having more patience and became a better father in Brienne’s absence. Whether it was bath time, keeping his daily schedule or prepping his meals, Tormund had it covered. TJ asked about Brienne multiple times a day and cried for her at night. It made Tormund miss her as much as he did so texted her every day to let her know he was thinking of her.

_I’m sorry. I love you. I miss you. Please come back home to us._

She read his texts and thought about him and TJ all the time. She missed them both badly but the time away was helping her heal. A month passed and Brienne started to feel better. Her mind had become clearer and it was time to go home and face her husband, although she didn’t know how she would feel to see him again.

 

***********************************************

 

Brienne didn’t tell him when she was coming back home but he found out through Pod at a small get together. She was sitting across from Sansa after a Crossfit class, having a joyous time, telling her about her time away when the doorbell rang.

Sansa opened the door and Tormund stood there with a smile on his face with TJ in his arms. He came in and locked eyes with Brienne. She gave him a faint smile and their interaction was broken up by TJ’s happy squeals when he saw Brienne. He wiggled out of his father’s arms and jumped in her lap.

“Mommy, I missed you!” They smothered each other with hugs and kisses. “Look daddy! Mommy is home!”

Tormund closed the door and sat on the couch perpendicular to Sansa and Brienne. He took her in and she looked great. Her skin had a nice glow, her eyes had a sparkle he hadn’t seen since their wedding and she looked happy.

“Hi Brienne.”

Sansa felt awkward sitting in their presence and she could feel some unresolved tension in the room. She kept an eye on Tormund when Brienne left and he had settled down nicely. He built a great relationship with TJ, stopped partying, went to counseling and hit the gym hard.

Brienne took in his presence as well. Her body suddenly felt warm inside as she observed how healthy he looked. He was always fit but he lost some weight and added some muscle. His tanktop and sweatpants clung to his muscular frame and her body started to tingle like it used too before.

“Daddy! Sit by mommy!” He jumped off the chair and pulled his father’s hand until he got up and sat next to Brienne. The loveseat was small so they were forced to sit closer than anticipated. Tormund turned his body toward Brienne and put an arm on the top of the couch. He wanted so bad to touch her but he refrained. TJ always made them sit together at home and propped himself between them. It was his safe place.

“Family kisses!” He stood up and kissed his mom and then dad. He waited for his parents to kiss like they normally did. “Mommy, daddy, you kiss!”

Sansa was enjoying herself as she thought TJ was doing a great job of getting his parents back together. “Yeah guys, you know how family kisses work. You have to kiss each other.” Brienne rolled her eyes at Sansa who now sported a devilish grin. “C’mon, get on with it.”

Tormund shrugged his shoulders and looked at Brienne. They both moved in and kissed, but to their surprise, neither pulled away. The kiss deepened, with Tormund moving in a bit closer and taking hold of her chin in his hand. It was an overdue kiss, one filled with passion and yearning. TJ made an icky face making Sansa laugh.

Brienne broke the kiss and panicked because the ache she felt below burned like a wildfire in the forest. “Excuse me.” She hurried to her room and shut the door.

He watched her leave and bowed his head in disappointment. “Do you think she still loves me?”

Sansa shook her head confidently. “I know she does. She would have never let you kiss her. She misses you badly but she’s just not that good at expressing her feelings. If you want, I can take TJ out for a while and you guys can try to work things out.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that. I’ll wait until she comes out I guess.”

She took TJ and headed out the door. “You’re her husband, not a boyfriend or stranger. Go knock on the door.”

 

Tormund took Sansa’s advice and knocked on the door. There was no answer so he eased in to her bedroom slowly. He heard the water going in the bathroom so he decided to sit on her bed and wait until she came out. Brienne stepped out the shower and covered herself with an oversized towel. She got another towel and proceeded to dry her wet, tussled hair.

When she entered the room she was startled by Tormund’s presence. The shower helped her hormones cool down but once again, here he was, raising heat in her skin again.

He stood up almost instantly when she came in. “I just wanted to talk… you know…about everything…about us.” The further she backpedaled from him, the closer he got until he had her pinned against the door. “I missed you and I want us to work things out.”

“I’m still not ready to talk about it.” She said as she clenched at the towel covering her body, turning her eyes from his.

He didn’t like her response so he tried a different approach. He pinned her against the door with his body and pushed his lips against hers. It took all but a few seconds for her to stop resisting before her body willingly molded to his. Getting this close to her and hearing her moan in pleasure was all he needed to verify that she still wanted him. He picked her up and gently placed her on the bed mounting her in the process…

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What Tormund did in the video is entirely up to your interpretation. He didn't have sex with the girls but a married man can get in all sorts of trouble with his wife for other things. He just doesn't seem like a full on cheater so I couldn't write it. This chapter also loops back into chapter 1. The conclusion of the story is the next chapter. Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave feedback.


	14. The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. Thanks to everyone that stuck with this story. Thanks to everyone that left kudos and positive comments. It was fun, but also stressful to write as it was my first. This chapter basically closes the story so there are no real surprises in here, only closure. Hope you enjoy!

A few weeks had passed since they _reconnected_ , and Brienne agreed to meet Tormund to discuss how they would move forward. She agreed to meet him at one of their favorite places, the place where they had their first date, the boardwalk. He waited on the same bench they had their first kiss, looking out at the rough waves of the ocean. He wanted her back and hoped that she felt the same. He hadn’t set himself up emotionally for anything other than her wanting to take him back. Mistakes were made on both sides and maybe they did marry too soon, but the heart wants what it wants, and his heart wanted her.

He sat there, tapping his foot on the wood below, impatient as it seemed like forever. He played with the black titanium wedding band on his finger wondering if he would get to keep it on. If she wanted to stay together, he would do anything she asked to make her happy. If she decided wanted to walk away, he wouldn’t let her before trying marriage counseling first. She meant too much to him and he couldn’t let her just walk out of his life. When he saw her walking towards him with an envelope in hand, his chest burned. It was over. She brought divorce papers for him to sign. _Fuck._

She sat on the bench next to him and they both turned their bodies towards each other, his right and her left knee touching slightly. “We haven’t really talked since…well…you know when. I told you that we weren’t over, but I still needed time to sort some things out.”

Tormund felt tightness in his chest. “Brienne… I made mistakes…we both made mistakes.”

“Let me finish.” She interrupted placing her hand on his thigh.

“I think from the beginning we had a connection and we were perfect for one another, but we let other people come between us. I love you so much and sometimes I wonder if that’s enough.”

“Brienne…please…don’t do this to us.”

“I’m sorry that I wasn’t a better wife and that I neglected you and TJ. It was a stupid mistake and one I’ve learned from.” There was a long silence as she placed his hand in hers. “At the end of the day, the heart wants what the heart wants and… I want you. I want us to work this out.” She smiled waiting for his response.

Tormund exhaled deeply not even realizing he was holding his breath. He looked into her eyes and shook his head. She scared the crap out of him but he was happy with the result. “Christ Brienne, I thought you were…”

She leaned in and wrapped her arms around his neck as he kissed her on the lips and reciprocated the hug. They held each other for a while before she gently pulled away. “I need you to do something for me.”

He was so overjoyed that he was willing to do anything she asked. “Anything. Tell me what you want.”

“I want to move back to Westeros, permanently.” She watched him sit quietly in thought for a moment. “I know we would be happier there.” She hoped he would say yes. She needed the change badly.

He told her that he would do anything she wanted but he also thought that he should make his own demands as well to see what he could get. It was a tactic that he’d used all his life. That and of course his charm. “I’ll move for you if you do something for me as well. I want you to quit your job and be a full-time mom, to TJ and hopefully another child.”

Now it was her turn to think about his request. She absolutely loved her job and asked her boss to work from home permanently. He hadn’t gotten back to her yet but maybe it was because fate had other plans for her. At this point, it was a request she could accommodate to make her husband happy, but the second request would not be easy. “I love my job so much Tormund but if you want me to quit, I’ll do it for you.” She sighed and continued. “I don’t know if I can bear a child for you. I’ve had bad luck twice and I don’t want you to get your hopes up. We have TJ and I am happy if he’s all we have.”

He placed his hand on her stomach. “Do you ever think that maybe it’s not the vessel but the seed?” He kept a serious face as she chuckled. He was being cocky without even knowing it but it kind of turned her on.

A few months ago he was adamant that he didn’t want any more children. Now, it had become a request in their future plans. She didn’t want him to be disappointed but she’d be willing to try. “I don’t know what the problem is but if you want to try, we can try. Let’s just give it some time and focus on us and our issues before we bring another person into our lives.”

He hugged her tightly again and planted kisses all over her face. “Fair enough. Can we go home? Now?” He stood up and extended his hand to her.

“It’s the middle of the day and if we go home now to fool around, we’ll be late to pick up TJ.”

“Oh, I don’t want to go home for that. You may be ok with TJ’s vegetarian diet but I’ve lost a good 15 pounds and I’m always starving. I need my wife to cook for me.” They both chuckled at that statement. “By the way, what’s in the envelope? I thought it was divorce papers and my heart dropped.”

“It’s the legal guardianship papers for TJ. I’ve signed my part, you need to sign yours, unless you don’t want me to legally adopt him.”

He forgot all about the paperwork they submitted after they got married. “You’re his mother, of course I want you to adopt him.”

 

*******************************************************

 

Before leaving for Westeros, Brienne and Tormund invited Pod and Sansa over for one last get together. They wanted to make sure their friends were taken care of before they left. They sat at the dinner table, everyone with drinks in their hands except Tormund. Instead, he piled food in his mouth at an alarming rate as he did for the last few weeks. Those new abs he acquired started to disappear, but Brienne didn’t mind. She was just happy he wasn’t starving anymore as he claimed.

Sansa poured herself another glass of wine. “What are you guys going to do with this house? Did you put it on the market?”

Tormund smiled at Brienne, searched his pocket and tossed the keys at Sansa. “It’s yours. I mean, you guys can stay in it if you’d like. We don’t want to sell it. We need a place to stay when we come visit. It’s paid for.”

“Holy shit! Holy shit! We have a house!” Pod started running around screaming for joy. He ran through the back hallway and into all the rooms. They could hear him screaming. _“The master is insane! There’s a California King in here! There’s a pool! An infinity pool! Holy fuck! This place is huge!”_

Brienne and Tormund laughed hard while Sansa shook her head in embarrassment. “You would think he came from a third world country.” She rolled her eyes and drank her wine.

“So, do you want it? You guys are responsible for the utilities and maintenance.” Tormund grabbed Brienne’s unfinished plate and started to eat her food as well.

“Yeah. We will definitely take care of it. Thank you so much.” Sansa hugged Brienne. “We are going to miss you guys for sure. We will come visit when we can.”

Pod came back to the table red faced and short of breath. “This place is amazing!” He turned to Sansa. “You said yes right? We have to live here.”

Sansa rolled her eyes at him and Tormund chuckled. He tapped Pod on the shoulder. “She said yes but come with me. I have an awesome surprise for you.”

 

Tormund took Pod outside by the infinity pool overlooking the dark mountains. “I wanted to thank you for helping out with TJ when Brienne and I were having problems. You’ve been a true friend to our family and I’ll always be grateful. We are starting a new gaming division at my tech company and I want you to be the director of that department.” He watched Pod hold his breath. “What do you think?”

Pod’s eyes widened and he started jumping up and down like a kid in a candy store. “Really?” He looked around. “Am I being punked? Everything I’ve always wanted in life has been granted to me in the last ten minutes.”

“Do you want the job or not?” Tormund chuckled. “You gotta help Sansa pay the bills around here you know.”

“Yes! Yes! Thank you!”

“One other thing. I know you love Sansa.” He reached in his pocket and pulled a wad of cash out. He tossed it to Pod. “Why don’t you make an honest woman of her. Buy her an engagement ring and start a life together.”

He bearhugged Tormund and then jumped in the pool.

Tormund tapped his forehead and groaned at Pod. “I hope you know how to air dry twenty-five grand you idiot!”

 

*****************************************************

 

Although Brienne promised Tormund she wouldn’t see Jaime again, she did want to do him one last favor as his friend. When she told Tormund what it was, he was irate and questioned why, but he understood that his wife had a good heart even with someone that hurt her. It was one of the things he loved most about her. He said he would be ok with her seeing him one last time if he was there with her. He promised not to make a seen or pick a fight.

Jaime agreed to meet her outside his friend’s apartment building where he kissed her. Tormund parked the car and leaned against it while they spoke. He wanted to hear everything that was said and also intimidate Jaime just a little bit.

“I see you brought the ginger ape. I guess he doesn’t trust me alone with you.” He waved to Tormund with a smug look on his face.

Tormund rolled his eyes and raised his middle finger to him.

Brienne handed him the key to her apartment. He still didn’t have a place to live and with his business starting to thrive, she rented it to him as a goodbye gift. They spoke about the specific payment arrangements for the apartment and all of their business agreements. Even though Brienne had now quit her job, she would have her own steady income for years to come.

“I’m moving back to Westeros. This is goodbye Jaime. Good luck with everything.” She extended her hand to him.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her into a deep hug. Although awkward, she couldn’t help but embrace him as well. “Thank you for everything Brienne. I swear, you were the best thing that happened in my life. I should have never let you go but I see that you’re happy now and that makes me happy.” He saw Tormund huffing and puffing at their embrace. “I love you Brienne. I will _always_ love you.” He smirked at Tormund as he kissed her on the forehead.

Brienne slowly pulled away from his embrace. “Jaime, I…”

“You don’t have to say anything. Good luck with everything.” He smiled at her one final time and walked in Tormund’s direction as he walked away. “Take good care of my girl.” He puckered his lips and winked at Tormund.

He wanted to punch Jaime in the face for that comment but he kept his calm and realized he was the one that ended up with the prize. He opened the car door for her and they sat in silence for a moment.

She finally broke the silence. “You’re turn.”

There was only one more person that Tormund needed closure with. He was disappointed in how Jon distanced himself from him but he no longer held any animosity towards him. Jon was still working for him and they were making a ton of money so at the end of the day, that was the only thing that mattered. He thought to call his once best friend but they were no longer close, so a text message would have to suffice.

“Brienne and I are moving to Westeros. I’ll fly back for important meetings if I’m needed.”

_“Ok.”_

“I married her you know.”

_“Congrats! Don’t fuck it up.”_

“Already did. Already fixed it.”

He waited for a response but never got one. He shook his head and put his phone back in his pocket. “It’s done. Let’s go my love.”

 

*************************************************

 

Brienne sat outside watching the sunset with her lower legs dipped in the pool. Tomorrow she would be starting her new life in Westeros and she’d never been so happy about starting over. The change of scenery would definitely help her marriage and give them both a fresh start. Her thoughts were interrupted as Tormund laid by the poolside and rested his head in her lap. She dipped her fingers in his ginger mane and massaged his scalp.

He smiled at her. “Off we go to a fresh start and a new life. Are you scared?”

She smiled back. “No, I’m ready. I have all I need, you and TJ.” She leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. “To new beginnings. I love you Tormund.”

“I love you more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I have decided to do an epilogue that has a few surprises in it. It will be out in a few days. I will also write a Thanksgiving short (Inappropriate Turkey Talk) that follows the epilogue with some references back to Matters of the Heart, very light in content but hopefully funny. My nephew inspired me with his table antics yesterday. I will also be writing another fic later down the line called "Sad Eyes." I will not start posting it until it is done and that may be a while since life has arrived and it's back to work for me. It's been fun. Till next time.


	15. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tormund and Brienne begin a new life in Westeros.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks for those who kept with this story and gave kudos and feedback.

It had been a great two years for Brienne and Tormund since moving to Westeros. He decided to go back and play Rugby one more season at the request of Nick and because he didn’t like the way he left things. He stayed with Sansa and Pod during the season and when the team was on the road, he shared a room with Nick. He stayed out of all sorts of girl trouble by turning in early and video chatting with his family. Brienne made it a priority to meet him in LA or whatever city he was in every three weekends to make sure he was taken care of. They spent the whole weekend in the bedroom when she came, making Sansa and Pod cringe when they heard them going at it all day and night. If he was on the road and he knew she was scheduled to come, he would get his own room leaving Nick to mingle with the new cheerleaders. They won the championship that season, he won the MVP award and he retired.

Tormund sprayed the soap off TJ in the tub as he giggled uncontrollably. Tormund couldn’t help but laugh as well because his giggle was so funny. TJ, now four was still an energetic ball of fun, bringing life to the once quiet house. He was a handful but never gave Roelle any trouble. He still adored his mother most but developed a very strong bond with his father. Tormund grabbed the towel and dried his massive curls that had once again gotten out of control before wrapping the towel around his little body. He helped him brush his teeth and headed for the door.

“Next!” He exchanged TJ for the baby Roelle was holding in her arms. “Come here little man. Are you ready for your bath?” He snuggled the blue-eyed baby in his arms and kissed his head covered with soft blonde hair. He removed his diaper and put him to sit in the tub. At barely a year old, he was walking very well and had a very sweet and quiet demeanor. The only time he made a fuss was when he was hungry or bothered. He stayed very calm during bath time and sat patiently in the tub as his dad washed him up, letting the water run on his hands.

When Brienne was pregnant with him, they decided not to learn the sex of the baby until it was born. On the road during the season towards the end of her pregnancy, Tormund was convinced that she was having a girl and Nick disagreed. They made a bet that if it was a boy, he would have to name the boy Nicolas.

Roelle helped him dress and groom the boys for bed. She turned to Tormund and pinched the side of his stomach. “You need to hit the gym fatty. I’m going to put you on a diet. No more roast for you.”

Tormund’s cheeks reddened in embarrassment. Since he wasn’t required to hit the gym regularly anymore, he didn’t go as frequently. He was also a full-time dad now and when the kids ate, he ate. It didn’t help that Roelle and Brienne’s cooking was phenomenal, and he had to sample everything that they cooked. He looked over to TJ. “TJ, am I getting fat?”

TJ nodded his head in agreement, pulled the covers over his mouth and giggled.

After she left, he hopped in TJ’s daybed with Nicolas and read them a bedtime story. Halfway through the story, the baby fell asleep in Tormund’s arms and by the end of the story TJ eyes were half closed. He gently eased out of the bed with the baby and placed him in his crib. He kissed TJ on the forehead and tucked him in.

“Tell mommy I love her and goodnight.” TJ yawned and turned over on his side.

“I will. You sleep tight and protect your baby brother.” He closed the door and went next door to his bedroom…

 

Brienne surprisingly got pregnant very quickly after they arrived in Westeros. They spent the first few months focusing on themselves and helping TJ adapt. The transition went faster and easier than expected and whenever Tormund saw pregnant women with their husbands or mothers with their babies, his desire for fatherhood again amplified.

Daily, he would watch her routine and that entailed her taking birth control. She hadn’t missed a day since she got back on track. Anytime he opened the medicine cabinet he saw her birth control and he hated it. He wondered if she would be mad if he threw it in the garbage. He didn’t want to wait a year, but he also didn’t want to put too much pressure on her.

One morning he chatted with her as she got ready. He watched her go into the medicine cabinet and he took the pills away from her and caressed her hand.

“Let’s not wait a whole year. Can we start trying now? Please? I really want a baby.” As he said it, he felt peculiar. Wives went to their husbands with this request most of the time but here he was, asking his wife to give him a baby. He didn’t have a great experience with TJ and his mother and wanted another chance to do things right, from beginning to end with someone he truly loved.

Brienne saw the desperation in his eyes and she hated telling him no. The reason she wanted to wait a year was because she thought he would change his mind or let it go. No luck. She was mainly afraid that she couldn’t have a baby and didn’t want to go through the pain of losing another child. For him though, only for him, she would try one more time. “Tormund, I don’t know if I can give you what you want. I… I just don’t want you to be disappointed.”

He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “No extra pressure. We won’t do all that ovulation crap and mark calendars and all that extra stuff. We’ll just have fun like we normally do and if it happens, it happens. We’re going on vacation in a few weeks. We’re going to be fucking anyway. Maybe I’ll put my little girl inside you.”

“A little cocky huh? You think you’ll get me pregnant on vacation and it’ll be a girl?” He smirked and shrugged his shoulders at her. She couldn’t help but chuckle. “Ok, we can try.”

Tormund was ecstatic when he found out she was pregnant and tried to figure out where the magic happened. They split their vacation between Dorne and Winterfell, areas to accommodate both of their wants. Brienne wanted the heat and Tormund wanted a taste of the cold. They loved Dorne which seemed to be as romantic as any place could be. No one could keep their hands off each other and Tormund and Brienne followed suit. In Winterfell, it was so cold that Brienne only wanted to stay inside and Tormund took that as a pass to stay inside of her. Tormund liked Winterfell but fell in love when he traveled even further North on a tour. He asked Brienne if they could get a little house there, but she refused saying it was too far from everything and way too cold. When Tormund showed utter disappointment, Brienne eventually went along with his decision to buy a little cottage in a new village nestled between Winterfell and Castle Black. The best part of the vacation was the new life they created without knowing until they backtracked the timeline of events.

 

Tormund slowly eased into the room not wanting to startle Brienne. She smiled when he peaked in the room as she fed their newborn baby. “Ready for me to put her down?” Brienne nodded and he took the baby from her arms. He rocked her for a few minutes and kissed her blonde fuzz before putting her down.

Brienne watched his every move and adored how much he was in love with their daughter. Nicolas was barely two months old when their casual fooling around resulted in another quick pregnancy. Brienne didn’t even think it was possible because she was breastfeeding Nicolas and thought it couldn’t happen. Tormund was once again overjoyed and cocky that he had the goods to swell her up twice in less than a year. Again, they didn’t want to know the sex of the baby until it was born. Every night he spoke to her belly and prayed to the Gods that he needed a little girl. When he got his wish, he cried tears of joy. The nurses had to take her from his arms to wash and weigh her. Brienne was happy that she had given birth to two healthy babies and given her husband what he wanted.

He helped Brienne out of the rocking chair as she walked gingerly to the bed. She was doing well considering she just gave birth three days ago. He changed his clothes and followed her into bed, snuggling behind her, putting his arm on her waist.

“Brienne?”

“Yes love?”

He paused for a moment and sighed. “Do you think I’m fat? Roelle told me I need to hit the gym.”

Brienne did notice that those abs he worked so hard for when they were separated had vanished and he did get a little chunky in the midsection. She didn’t care though because she found it kind of sexy. “I wouldn’t say you’re fat. You just put on some sympathy weight, that’s all. Maybe you could lay off the roast?”

They both laughed until there was a sweet silence. She put her hand on top of his and interlocked her fingers with his. “Thank you.”

“For what love?”

“Thank you for being a great husband and giving me a beautiful family. I didn’t think I would ever be able to have a baby of my own and you gave me two. _You_ made that happen and I’m forever grateful. I love you.”

He kissed the back of her neck. “It was my pleasure, making and having them. I love you Brienne. Now and forever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like how it turned out. I will have a few shorts based off this epilogue so stayed tuned. Thanksgiving short will be up in a few days.


End file.
